Correction of single frequency altimeter measurements for ionosphere delay

Abstract

This study is a preliminary analysis of the accuracy of various ionosphere models to correct single frequency altimeter height measurements for ionospheric path delay. In particular, research focused on adjusting empirical and parameterized ionosphere models in the parameterized real-time ionospheric specification model (PRISM) 1.2 using total electron content (TEC) data from the Global Positioning System (GPS). The types of GPS data used to adjust PRISM included GPS line-of-sight (LOS) TEC data mapped to the vertical, and a grid of GPS derived TEC data in a Sun-fixed longitude frame. The adjusted PRISM TEC values, as well as predictions by IRI-90, a climatological model, were compared to TOPEX/Poseidon (T/P) TEC measurements from the dual-frequency altimeter for a number of TIP tracks. When adjusted with GPS LOS data, the PRISM empirical model predicted TEC over 24 1 h data sets for a given local time to within a global error of 8.60 TECU rms during a midnight centered ionosphere and 9.74 TECU rms during a noon centered ionosphere. Using GPS derived sun-fixed TEC data, the PRISM parameterized model predicted TEC within an error of 8.47 TECU rms centered at midnight and 12.83 TECU rms centered at noon. From these best results, it is clear that the proposed requirement of 3-4 TECU global rms for TOPEX/Poseidon Follow-On will be very difficult to meet, even with a substantial increase in the number of GPS ground stations, with any realizable combination of the aforementioned models or data assimilation schemes.