We analyze plasma density data from the AE-E satellite to determine how F region irregularities decay. This satellite had a low inclination orbit that was ultimately circular at an altitude of 434 km. It frequently observed plasma depletions in the postsunset regime during spread F conditions, sometimes along a trajectory affording a horizontal cut perspective through the field-aligned irregularities. On one occasion, the satellite passed through nearly the same region of depleted flux tubes on sequential orbits. Data from these orbits imply that the irregularities decay at a constant rate over a broad range of horizontal scale sizes. We introduce a statistical model of the intermediate-scale (10 km--100 m) plasma irregularities and use it to infer a value for the perpendicular ambipolar diffusion coefficient from the measured decay rate. The value we estimate (2 m2/s) is close to the expected classical value. The uniform decay rate and the quasi-universal nature of the intermediate-scale spectra hint that the irregularities themselves maintain a characteristic shape as they decay. High-resolution satellite density measurements show that irregularities have the form of kilometer-scale quasi-periodic depletions. We propose a one-dimensional, nonlinear model of the collisional interchange instability which admits a closed-form, steady state solution predicting the shape of the depletions. Computer simulations of the model produce kilometer-scale waves that resemble the in situ observations.¿ 1997 American Geophysical Union