Imaging the topside ionosphere and plasmasphere with ionospheric tomography using COSMIC GPS TEC

Abstract

AbstractGPS‐based ionospheric tomography is a well‐known technique for imaging the total electron content (TEC) between GPS satellites and receivers. However, as an integral measurement of electron concentration, TEC typically encompasses both the ionosphere and plasmasphere, masking signatures from the topside ionosphere‐plasmasphere due to the dominant ionosphere. Imaging these regions requires a technique that isolates TEC in the topside ionosphere‐plasmasphere. Multi‐Instrument Data Analysis System (MIDAS) employs tomography to image the electron distribution in the ionosphere. Its implementation for regions beyond is yet to be seen due to the different dynamics present above the ionosphere. This paper discusses the extension of MIDAS to image these altitudes using GPS phase‐based TEC measurements and follows the work by Spencer and Mitchell (2011). Plasma is constrained to dipole field lines described by Euler potentials, resulting in a distribution symmetrical about the geomagnetic equator. A simulation of an empirical plasmaspheric model by Gallagher et al. (1988) is used to verify the technique by comparing reconstructions of the simulation with the empirical model. The Constellation Observing System for Meteorology, Ionosphere, and Climate (COSMIC) is used as GPS receiver locations. The verification is followed by a validation of the modified MIDAS algorithm, where the regions' TEC is reconstructed from COSMIC GPS phase measurements and qualitatively compared with previous studies using Jason‐1 and COSMIC data. Results show that MIDAS can successfully image features/trends of the topside ionosphere‐plasmasphere observed in other studies, with deviations in absolute TEC attributed to differences in data set properties and the resolution of the images.