[1] We report on a new category of long lasting meteor echoes observed occasionally with HF and VHF radars. These meteoric returns, which have lifetimes from many seconds to a few minutes, are characterized by a distinct Doppler spectral signature showing a pronounced Doppler bifurcation which includes narrow bands of discrete Doppler velocities, often of opposite polarity. The large signal to noise ratios and the narrowness of the spectra imply that coherent or Bragg scattering is not of relevance here, therefore these echoes do not associate with the long living meteor-induced backscatter (MIB) from the lower E region. A reasonable interpretation needs to explain both the Doppler spectrum bifurcation and the long echo duration. As such, we propose the idea of a structured vertical wind shear in the lower E region which traps different fragments of a meteor trail plasma in the same way that sporadic E layers form. These trail parts inside the shear-related wind profile may act as relatively long-lasting meteoric reflectors moving with different Doppler velocities, also of opposite polarity. Citation: Bourdillon, A., C. Haldoupis, C. Hanuise, Y. Le Roux, and J. Menard (2005), Long duration meteor echoes characterized by Doppler spectrum bifurcation, Geophys. Res. Lett., 32, L05805,

Abstract. HF radar observations of mid-latitude spo- radic-E irregularities carried out with the Valensole radar in South France are compared with simultaneous ionosonde measurements underneath the irregularity zones. In a previous study of Valensole radar data, it has been shown that HF backscatter from the night-time mid-latitude E region is usually associated with large- scale wave-like modulations. To obtain more informa- tion on the geophysical conditions prevailing during backscatter events, a new experiment was performed which also included a vertical ionosonde beneath the scattering region. The data to be presented here are from two periods when radar scattering appeared simulta- neously with large variations in the virtual height and the Doppler velocity of F-layer re¯ected echoes mea- sured with the vertical ionosonde, indicating very clearly the passage of atmospheric gravity waves (AGWs). The e.ect of the atmospheric waves on the sporadic-E layer is not always as marked as it is in the F region. In the ®rst event, the passage of the AGWs is accompanied by an upward followed by a downward movement of the Es-layer. The apparent descending movement of the Es-layer from 135 to 110 km in less than 10 min corresponded to a positive (downward) Doppler velocity of 35 m/s measured by the vertical ionosonde, and was accompanied by a range variation in the radar scattering region with a negative rate of about 90±110 m/s. In the second event, the Es-layer is not as strongly disturbed as in the previous one, but, nevertheless, the range varia- tions of the scattering region can still be associated with height ¯uctuations of the Es-layer.

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