Abstract
One of the adverse impacts of scintillation on GNSS signals is the loss of lock status, which can lead to GNSS geometry and visibility reductions that compromise the accuracy and integrity of navigation performance. In this paper the loss of lock based on ionosphere scintillation in this solar maximum phase has been well investigated with respect to both temporal and spatial behaviors, based on GNSS observatory data collected at Weipa (Australia; geographic: 12.45° S, 130.95° E; geomagnetic: 21.79° S, 214.41° E) from 2011 to 2015. Experiments demonstrate that the percentage of occurrence of loss of lock events under ionosphere scintillation is closely related with solar activity and seasonal shifts. Loss of lock behaviors under ionosphere scintillation related to elevation and azimuth angles are statistically analyzed, with some distinct characteristics found. The influences of daytime scintillation and geomagnetic storms on loss of lock have also been discussed in details. The proposed work is valuable for a deeper understanding of theoretical mechanisms of—loss of lock under ionosphere scintillation in global regions, and provides a reference for GNSS applications in certain regions at Australian low latitudes.
Highlights
Ionosphere irregularities generated by inhomogeneous plasma bubbles can result in rapid fluctuations of radio wave amplitude and phase, referred to as ionosphere scintillation.This phenomenon usually occurs at equatorial and lower latitudes
The temporal and spatial statistical characteristics of loss of lock under ionosphere scintillation observed at Weipa station have been studied with data provided by Space Weather Service (SWS) from 2011 to
The general conclusions for monthly and seasonally loss of lock have been investigated, indicating that loss of lock characteristics at low latitudes of Australia follows specific patterns. These results are of great significance for future studies on Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) loss of lock features in wider regions
Summary
Ionosphere irregularities generated by inhomogeneous plasma bubbles can result in rapid fluctuations of radio wave amplitude and phase, referred to as ionosphere scintillation. This phenomenon usually occurs at equatorial and lower latitudes. Scintillation has a severe impact on Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) performance and applications. With increasing reliance on GNSS in life critical services, the study of the impact of scintillation has received a new impetus. One of the adverse impacts of scintillation on GNSS signals is the loss of lock (LoL) status, in addition to GNSS geometry and visibility reduction that compromise the accuracy and integrity of navigation performance. The severest ionosphere scintillation usually occurs at low latitudes because of the effect of Rayleigh–Taylor instability around the equatorial region. It is widely accepted that scintillation is closely related to the behavior of plasma bubbles, which has been deeply investigated during storm
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