Empirical orthogonal function modelling of total electron content over Nepal and comparison with global ionospheric models

Abstract

This analysis uses 3 years hourly observations of total electron content (TEC) from 5 global positioning system (GPS) station across Nepal to analyze the spatial trend. For this purpose, empirical orthogonal function modeling is used to investigate the annual and monthly variation inside the country. Empirical orthogonal function base functions and associated coefficients of TEC variability over Nepal have been studied to establish the relationship between observed and modeled TEC values. Both the observed GPS TEC values and the empirical orthogonal function modeled TEC values are compared with the global ionospheric models (global ionospheric map and international reference ionosphere) TEC values. The study shows an hourly pattern of TEC variation in which the TEC rises from dawn, reaches the highest TEC values about 40 TEC units during the peak hours of the day, then decreases at evening at the lowest diurnal values about 5 TEC units. Monthly TEC values over all sites are higher during the march and April (about 38 TEC unit), while they are lower values during December and January (about 10 TEC unit). Although the correlation coefficients between the GPS TEC values and the global modeled TEC values are higher, while it becomes highest with empirical orthogonal function modeled TEC values for both cases of hourly and monthly variations. We examined the root mean square errors between observed and modeled TEC values at each site by using tailor correlation plots and found that they are lower in case of empirical orthogonal function model. Monthly residuals between observed and empirical orthogonal function modeled TEC values are always lower as compared to other global modeled TEC values. These kinds of comparative analysis in the present work indicate that empirical orthogonal function model by using global geomagnetic activity works very well and is capable of depicting TEC variations accurately.