GPS Total Electron Content Research Articles

Generation of Artificial Acoustic-Gravity Waves and Traveling Ionospheric Disturbances in HF Heating Experiments

We report the results of our ionospheric HF heating experiments to generate artificial acoustic-gravity waves (AGW) and traveling ionospheric disturbances (TID), which were conducted at the High-frequency Active Auroral Research Program facility in Gakona, Alaska. Based on the data from UHF radar, GPS total electron content, and ionosonde measurements, we found that artificial AGW/TID can be generated in ionospheric modification experiments by sinusoidally modulating the power envelope of the transmitted O-mode HF heater waves. In this case, the modulation frequency needs to be set below the characteristic Brunt–Vaisala frequency at the relevant altitudes. We avoided potential contamination from naturally-occurring AGW/TID of auroral origin by conducting the experiments during geomagnetically quiet time period. We determine that these artificial AGW/TID propagate away from the edge of the heated region with a horizontal speed of approximately 160 m/s.

Ionospheric response to CIR‐induced recurrent geomagnetic activity during the declining phase of solar cycle 23

AbstractThis paper presents an epoch analysis of global ionosphere responses to recurrent geomagnetic activity during 79 corotating interaction region (CIR) events from 2004 to 2009. The data used were GPS total electron content (TEC) data from the Madrigal Database at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Haystack Observatory and the electron density (Ne) data obtained from CHAllenging Minisatellite Payload (CHAMP) observations. The results show that global ionosphere responses to CIR events have some common features. In high and middle latitudes, the total electron content (TEC) showed a significant positive response (increased electron densities) in the first epoch day. A negative TEC response occurred at high latitudes of the American sector following the positive response. The CHAMP Ne showed a daytime positive response in all latitudes and a nighttime negative response in the subauroral region. These negative TEC and Ne responses were found to be related to thermospheric composition (O/N2) changes during the storms. At all latitudes, the maximum of the TEC positive effect always occurred at 2–6 h after the CIR starting during local daytime and 10–18 h later for the CIR onset during local nighttime. Case studies indicate that the TEC and Ne positive response had a strong dependence on the southward component (Bz) of the interplanetary magnetic field and solar wind speed. This suggests that penetration electric fields that were associated with changes in solar winds might play a significant role in the positive ionospheric response to storms. During the recovery time of the CIR‐produced geomagnetic activity, the TEC positive disturbance at low latitudes sometimes could last for 2–4 days, whereas at middle to high latitudes the disturbance lasted only for 1 day in most cases. A comparison of the ionospheric responses between the American, European and Asian sectors shows that the ionosphere response in the North American sector was stronger than that in the other two regions. The response of foF2 to the CIR events in middle to high latitudes showed a negative response for 2–3 days after the first epoch day. This is different from the response of TEC, which was mostly positive during the same period of time.

A statistical comparison of IRI TEC prediction with GPS TEC measurement over Varanasi, India

The widely used International Reference Ionosphere (IRI) model in simulation/modeling of ionospheric studies specially at low latitudes require performance evaluation. To achieve this objective, we have compared total electron content (TEC) derived from the recent version of IRI model (IRI-2012) over low latitude Indian station Varanasi (Geographic: 25°16′N, 82°59′E; Geomagnetic: 14°55′N, 154°E) with TEC measured from the GPS receiver installed at Varanasi. The results are in good agreement with correlation coefficient ~0.9, and root-mean square deviations generally around 25–70% for diurnal comparisons. The seasonal variability of TEC derived by using the different topside options of the IRI-2012 model (IRI-2001, NeQuick and IRI01-corr) are studied and validated for the three seasons. The IRI-2012 model with all the three topside options significantly overestimates TEC for the station during the winter season of 2012–2013, which has been attributed to discrepancy in foF2 parameter as predicted by the model during the winter season of 2012–2013. This has been confirmed by comparing the foF2 data from COSMIC with IRI model.

Latitudinal variation of the ionosphere in the African sector using GPS TEC data

Total electron content (TEC) measured by the network of receivers from Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) at 18 stations in the year 2011 was used to study the ionospheric variations. The stations are chosen along a longitudinal range (27–40° E) covering all the latitudes of the African sector. The latitudinal variations investigated include: annual, seasonal, diurnal, and day-to-day. The annual and seasonal results presented an equinoctial asymmetry in all stations and a winter anomaly during the solstice months for the stations near the equator. The diurnal variation in the same equatorial stations exhibited features like noontime bite-out, night-time enhancements and high day-to-day TEC variability especially in September. The day-to-day variability was larger in the station around geomagnetic latitude 16° S (dodm). Latitudinally, the TEC recorded keep on decreasing as you ascend the latitudes of both hemispheres showing a maximum around the geomagnetic equator with a trough between geomagnetic and geographic equators.

Comparison of TEC value from GNSS permanent station and IRI model

We have analyzed the total electron content (TEC) derived from dual-frequency GPS receivers (GPS TEC) at the Warsaw station, Poland, during the period 2010–2012. This TEC has been compared with the value predicted by IRI model. Analysis has been done according to the solar activity (represented by the F10.7 parameter), time of day, season and magnetic activity. The results of our study show that the TEC derived from the IRI-2012 model agrees with the GPS TEC data mostly in the morning hours, but that it generally underestimates the GPS TEC. The maximum differences are about 10 TECU during the daytime and 2 TECU during the nighttime. The underestimation is more evident at daytime than at nighttime. In order to obtain a more quantitative estimate of the difference between IRI and GPS observations, we calculated seasonal means of the relative deviations. The highest TEC overestimation is observed in December during low and high solar flux’s values of about 35–45%.

Response of the American equatorial and low‐latitude ionosphere to the X1.5 solar flare on 13 September 2005

AbstractBased on the coordinated observations by the incoherent scatter radar (ISR), ionosonde, magnetometers, and GPS receivers, the electrodynamic effects on the equatorial and low‐latitude ionosphere have been investigated during the intense solar flare (X1.5/2B) on 13 September 2005. In the initial stage of the flare, the ISR and ionosonde measurements at Jicamarca show the decreases of 10.14 m/s and 20 km in the upward vertical E × B drift velocity and the F2 region peak height, respectively, while equatorial electrojet (EEJ) strength over American sector indicates a sudden increase of 53.7 nT. The decrease of the upward vertical E × B drift velocity reveals the weakening of eastward electric field during the flare, which is firstly and directly observed by instrument. It is well known that the variation of equatorial electric field is mainly attributed to the ionospheric dynamo electric field and partially affected by the penetration of interplanetary electric field. The observations during this flare suggest that the flare‐induced increase of Cowling conductivity changes the ionospheric dynamo electric field and further results in the weakening of eastward electric field and the decrease of the upward vertical E × B drift velocity. Meanwhile, the upward vertical E × B drift velocity and the EEJ strength during the flare are negatively correlated, which is contrary to the knowledge established by Anderson et al. () based on 10 days of observations in the Peruvian longitude sector. The difference may be caused by the flare‐induced enhancement of Cowling conductivity. In addition, GPS total electron content (TEC) observations from six stations in the American equator and low latitudes show an enhancement of 1.47–3.09 TEC units. The measurements of GPS and ISR indicate that the contribution of the enhanced photoionization to the increase of TEC is more than that of electrodynamic effect during the initial stage of the intense flare.

Comparison of GPS based TEC measurements with the IRI-2012 model for the period of low to moderate solar activity (2009–2012) at the crest of equatorial anomaly in Indian region

The measurements of total electron content (TEC) are conducted at Surat (21° 9′ N, 72° 47′ E) in India, which lies under the northern crest of the equatorial anomaly region, for a period of four years from low to moderate solar activity (2009–2012) using a Global Positioning System (GPS) receiver. These results are compared with the TEC derived from IRI-2012 using three different options of topside electron density: NeQuick, IRI01-corr and IRI-2001. As there is difference between the upper limit of integration in the GPS TEC (20,200km) and the IRI model (2000km), to have a fair comparison of measured TEC with that of modeled TEC, the plasmaspheric contribution to the GPS TEC is removed. The measured TEC are compared with the model derived TEC for different times of the day for all months of four years (2009–2012). The IRI-2012 estimates the TEC well for the dusk hours 1800LT and noon hour 1200LT from 2010 to 2012. However, the estimation shows discrepancies with the observed TEC in the year 2009. For 0600LT it is observed that, from 2009 to 2011 the predictions made by IRI-2012 (options NeQuick and IRI01-corr) shifts from over estimation (0–50%) to under estimation (50–75%) and estimate the TEC well in the year 2012. In general, from 2009 to 2012, it is observed that with ascending phase of solar cycle the discrepancies in IRI prediction decreases for 0600LT, 1200LT and 1800LT hours of the day. Further, the comparison is also done for TEC at peak hour 1430LT for four months i.e. April, June, October and December (representing four seasons). It is observed that the peak hour TEC obtained by model overestimates the TEC for a low solar activity year 2009 but estimates well in 2010 and 2012 (except June). Further, model underestimates the peak hour TEC for moderate solar activity year 2011.

GPS scintillation and irregularities at the front of an ionization tongue in the nightside polar ionosphere

AbstractIn this paper we study a tongue of ionization (TOI) on 31 October 2011 which stretched across the polar cap from the Canadian dayside sector to Svalbard in the nightside ionosphere. The TOI front arrived over Svalbard around 1930 UT. We have investigated GPS scintillation and irregularities in relation to this TOI front. This is the first study presenting such detailed multi‐instrument data of scintillation and irregularities in relation to a TOI front. Combining data from an all‐sky imager, the European Incoherent Scatter Svalbard Radar, the Super Dual Auroral Radar Network Hankasalmi radar, and three GPS scintillation and total electron content (TEC) monitors in Longyearbyen and Ny‐Ålesund, we observe bursts of phase scintillation and no amplitude scintillation in relation to the leading gradient of the TOI. Spectrograms of 50Hz phase measurements show highly localized and variable structuring of the TOI leading gradient, with no structuring or scintillation within the TOI or ahead of the TOI.

On the generation/decay of the storm‐enhanced density plumes: Role of the convection flow and field‐aligned ion flow

AbstractStorm‐enhanced density (SED) plumes are prominent ionospheric electron density increases at the dayside middle and high latitudes. The generation and decay mechanisms of the plumes are still not clear. We present observations of SED plumes during six storms between 2010 and 2013 and comprehensively analyze the associated ionospheric parameters within the plumes, including vertical ion flow, field‐aligned ion flow and flux, plasma temperature, and field‐aligned currents, obtained from multiple instruments, including GPS total electron content (TEC), Poker Flat Incoherent Scatter Radar (PFISR), Super Dual Auroral Radar Network, and Active Magnetosphere and Planetary Electrodynamics Response Experiment. The TEC increase within the SED plumes at the PFISR site can be 1.4–5.5 times their quiet time value. The plumes are usually associated with northwestward E × B flows ranging from a couple of hundred m s−1 to > 1 km s−1. Upward vertical flows due to the projection of these E × B drifts are mainly responsible for lifting the plasma in sunlit regions to higher altitude and thus leading to plume density enhancement. The upward vertical flows near the poleward part of the plumes are more persistent, while those near the equatorward part are more patchy. In addition, the plumes can be collocated with either upward or downward field‐aligned currents (FACs) but are usually observed equatorward of the peak of the Region 1 upward FAC, suggesting that the northwestward flows collocated with plumes can be either subauroral or auroral flows. Furthermore, during the decay phase of the plume, large downward ion flows, as large as ~200 m s−1, and downward fluxes, as large as 1014 m−2 s−1, are often observed within the plumes. In our study of six storms, enhanced ambipolar diffusion due to an elevated pressure gradient is able to explain two of the four large downward flow/flux cases, but this mechanism is not sufficient for the other two cases where the flows are of larger magnitude. For the latter two cases, enhanced poleward thermospheric wind is suggested to be another mechanism for pushing the plasma downward along the field line. These downward flows should be an important mechanism for the decay of the SED plumes.

A case study of ionospheric storm effects during long‐lasting southward IMF Bz‐driven geomagnetic storm

AbstractMultiple instrumental observations including GPS total electron content (TEC), foF2 and hmF2 from ionosondes, vertical ion drift measurements from Communication/Navigation Outage Forecasting System, magnetometer data, and far ultraviolet airglow measured by Thermosphere, Ionosphere, Mesosphere Energetics and Dynamics/Global Ultraviolet Imager (TIMED/GUVI) are used to investigate the profound ionospheric disturbances at midlatitude and low latitude during the 14–17 July 2012 geomagnetic storm event, which was featured by prolonged southward interplanetary geomagnetic field component for about 30 h below −10 nT. In the East Asian/Australian sector, latitudinal profile of TEC variations in the main phase were characterized by three bands of increments and separated by weak depressions in the equatorial ionospheric anomaly (EIA) crest regions, which were caused by the combined effects of disturbance dynamo electric fields (DDEF) and equatorward neutral winds. In the recovery phase, strong inhibition of EIA occurred and the summer crest of EIA disappeared on 16 July due to the combined effects of intrusion of neutral composition disturbance zone as shown by the TIMED/GUVI O/N2 measurements and long‐lasting daytime westward DDEF inferred from the equatorial electrojet observations. The transit time of DDEF over the dip equator from westward to eastward is around 2200 LT. In the American longitude, the salient ionospheric disturbances in the summer hemisphere were characterized by daytime periodical intrusion of negative phase for three consecutive days in the recovery phase, preceded by storm‐enhanced density plume in the initial phase. In addition, multiple short‐lived prompt penetration electric fields appeared during stable southward interplanetary magnetic field (IMF) Bz in the recovery phase and were responsible for enhanced the EIA and equatorial ionospheric uplift around sunset.

Geomagnetic storms, super‐storms, and their impacts on GPS‐based navigation systems

AbstractUsing data of GPS receivers located worldwide, we analyze the quality of GPS performance during four geomagnetic storms of different intensity: two super‐storms and two intense storms. We show that during super‐storms the density of GPS Losses‐of‐Lock (LoL) increases up to 0.25% at L1 frequency and up to 3% at L2 frequency, and up to 0.15% (at L1) and 1% (at L2) during less intense storms. Also, depending on the intensity of the storm time ionospheric disturbances, the total number of total electron content (TEC) slips can exceed from 4 to 40 times the quiet time level. Both GPS LoL and TEC slips occur during abrupt changes of SYM‐H index of geomagnetic activity, i.e., during the main phase of geomagnetic storms and during development of ionospheric storms. The main contribution in the total number of GPS LoL was found to be done by GPS sites located at low and high latitudes, whereas the area of numerous TEC slips seemed to mostly correspond to the boundary of the auroral oval, i.e., region with intensive ionospheric irregularities. Our global maps of TEC slips show where the regions with intense irregularities of electron density occur during geomagnetic storms and will let us in future predict appearance of GPS errors for geomagnetically disturbed conditions.

The global morphology of the plasmaspheric electron content during Northern winter 2009 based on GPS/COSMIC observation and GSM TIP model results

We studied the contribution of the global plasmaspheric and ionospheric electron content (PEC and IEC) into total electron content (TEC). The experimental PEC was estimated by comparison of GPS TEC observations and FORMOSAT-3/COSMIC radio occultation IEC measurements. Results are retrieved for the winter solstice (January and December 2009) conditions. Global maps of COSMIC-derived IEC, PEC and GPS TEC were compared with Global Self-consistent Model of the Thermosphere, Ionosphere and Protonosphere (GSM TIP) results. In addition, we used GSM TIP model results in order to estimate the contribution of plasmaspheric electron content into TEC value at the different altitudinal regions. The advantages and problems of the outer ionospheric/plasmaspheric parameters (O+/H+ transition height, TEC and electron density at height above F2 layer peak) representation by the IRI (International Reference Ionosphere) model are discussed.

Characteristics of equatorial ionization anomaly (EIA) in relation to transionospheric satellite links around the northern crest in the Indian longitude sector

Abstract. The poleward gradient of the equatorial ionization anomaly (EIA) introduces more intense propagation effects on transionospheric satellite links in comparison to the equatorward gradient. Characterization of the poleward gradient was performed during March–April, August–October 2011 and March–April 2012 using GPS total electron content (TEC) recorded from a chain of stations located more or less along the same meridian (88.5° E) at Calcutta, Baharampore, Farakka and Siliguri. The poleward gradients calculated on magnetically quiet days at elevation in excess of 50° at 14:00, 15:00 and 16:00 LT were found to have a strong correlation with GPS S4 observed from Calcutta during post-sunset-to-midnight hours. A threshold value of poleward TEC gradient is calculated above which there is a probability of scintillation at Calcutta with S4 ≥ 0.4.

Introduction to the special section on Sun‐Earth system response to extreme solar and seismic events

Introduction to the special section on Sun‐Earth system response to extreme solar and seismic events

Estimation of the plasmasphere electron density and O+/H+ transition height from Irkutsk incoherent scatter data and GPS total electron content

Observations obtained using the Irkutsk Incoherent Scatter Radar (ISR) and GPS Total Electron Content (TEC) were used for estimation of the O+/H+ transition level and electron density distribution in the upper topside ionosphere and in the plasmasphere. We use a modified Chapman function where O+/H+ transition level is one of parameters to develop a model. On the base of this model we consider some examples of O+/H+ transition height dynamics and estimate the uncertainty of the method. We show that the transition height dynamics is very sensitive to parameters of neutral wind and it has specific variation on Irkutsk ISR site. The plasmasphere can contribute more than 50% to GPS TEC, and the input from plasmasphere can produce significant influence on GPS TEC variations.

The comparative study of chaoticity and dynamical complexity of the low-latitude ionosphere, over Nigeria, during quiet and disturbed days

Abstract. The deterministic chaotic behavior and dynamical complexity of the space plasma dynamical system over Nigeria are analyzed in this study and characterized. The study was carried out using GPS (Global Positioning System) TEC (Total Electron Content) time series, measured in the year 2011 at three GPS receiver stations within Nigeria, which lies within the equatorial ionization anomaly region. The TEC time series for the five quietest and five most disturbed days of each month of the year were selected for the study. The nonlinear aspect of the TEC time series was obtained by detrending the data. The detrended TEC time series were subjected to various analyses for phase space reconstruction and to obtain the values of chaotic quantifiers like Lyapunov exponents, correlation dimension and also Tsallis entropy for the measurement of dynamical complexity. The observations made show positive Lyapunov exponents (LE) for both quiet and disturbed days, which indicates chaoticity, and for different days the chaoticity of the ionosphere exhibits no definite pattern for either quiet or disturbed days. However, values of LE were lower for the storm period compared with its nearest relative quiet periods for all the stations. The monthly averages of LE and entropy also show no definite pattern for the month of the year. The values of the correlation dimension computed range from 2.8 to 3.5, with the lowest values recorded at the storm period of October 2011. The surrogate data test shows a significance of difference greater than 2 for all the quantifiers. The entropy values remain relatively close, with slight changes in these values during storm periods. The values of Tsallis entropy show similar variation patterns to those of Lyapunov exponents, with a lot of agreement in their comparison, with all computed values of Lyapunov exponents correlating with values of Tsallis entropy within the range of 0.79 to 0.81. These results show that both quantifiers can be used together as indices in the study of the variation of the dynamical complexity of the ionosphere. The results also show a strong play between determinism and stochasticity. The behavior of the ionosphere during these storm and quiet periods for the seasons of the year are discussed based on the results obtained from the chaotic quantifiers.

Modification in Atmospheric Refractivity and GPS Based TEC as Earthquake Precursors

The present paper reports the modification in GPS TEC (total electron content) and atmospheric refractivity prior to the Iran earthquake that had occurred on 16 April 2013 in Iran (28.10°N, 62.05°E). The analysis of GPS-based TEC from two GPS receivers, Surat (21.16°N, 72.78°E) and Lucknow (26.91°N, 80.95°E ) and results of atmospheric refractivity profile for radiosonde observation stations (Shiraz, Iran and Delhi, India) around the fault line are presented in this paper. It is seen that atmospheric refractivity gets modified from 8 to 6 days prior to the earthquake at Shiraz, Iran and Delhi, India. The GPS TEC showed variations a few days prior to the earthquake. We conclude that in search of precursory signatures for an earthquake, both GPS TEC and refractivity are important parameters.

Estimating the propagation characteristics of large‐scale traveling ionospheric disturbances using ground‐based and satellite data

In this article, the propagation characteristics of large‐scale traveling ionospheric disturbances (LS TIDs) are estimated during the geomagnetic storm periods of 14–16 May 2005 and 25–27 September 2011 over South Africa. One and two GPS arrays have been independently considered for the storms of 15 May 2005 and 26 September 2011, respectively. The average periods of dominant modes (≈ 2.5–3.5h) in the time series data were determined by applying wavelet analysis on both ionosonde and GPS data. The consideration of diurnal GPS total electron content (TEC) variability from receivers along three different longitude sectors showed a time shift in TEC enhancement with increasing latitude, the first indication of equatorward motion of the traveling ionospheric disturbances (TIDs). The statistical method (based on GPS radio interferometry) employed shows that these TIDs were mostly propagating nearly equatorward (for both storm periods), which is consistent with the existing literature about storm‐induced TIDs. On storm days, TID horizontal velocities have been determined in the range of ≈200–500m/s. The analysis of diurnal TEC response from different stations confirmed that the positive storm effect observed on 15 May 2005 was a result of the large‐scale TIDs of wavelength ≈4000 km. On the other hand, the estimated wavelengths of LS TIDs on 26 September 2011 were ≈2400–3400km between 10 and 17 UT. A time lag is observed between the times at which enhancements in TEC, ionosonde foF2, and hmF2 data are revealed, and this has been attributed to the passage of the TID.

Ionospheric TEC, thermospheric cooling and Σ[O/N2] compositional changes during the 6–17 March 2012 magnetic storm interval (CAWSES II)

A series of four geomagnetic storms (the minimum SYM-H~−148nT) occurred during the March 6–17, 2012 in the ascending phase of the solar cycle 24. This interval was selected by CAWSES II for its campaign. The GPS total electron content (TEC) database and JPL's Global Ionospheric Maps (GIM) were used to study vertical TEC (VTEC) for different local times and latitude ranges. The largest response to geomagnetic activity is shown in increases of the low-latitude dayside VTEC. Several GPS sites feature post-afternoon VTEC “bite-outs”. During Sudden Impulse (SI+) event on March 8th a peak daytime VTEC restores to about quiet-time values. It is shown that the TIMED/SABER zonal flux of nitric oxide (NO) infrared cooling radiation correlates well with auroral heating. A factor of ~5 cooling increase is noted in some storms. The cooling radiation intensifies in the auroral zone and spreads towards the equator. Effects of the storm appear at lower latitudes ~18.6h later. The column density ratio Σ[O/N2] is analyzed based on TIMED/GUVI measurements. Both increases (at low latitudes) and decreases (from auroral to middle latitudes) in the ratio occurs during the geomagnetic storms. We suggest that the column density ratio could be enhanced at low to middle latitudes on the dayside partially due to the superfountain effect (atomic oxygen uplift due to ion-neutral drag). It is suggested that decreases in the Σ[O/N2] ratio at high to middle-latitudes may be caused by high thermospheric temperatures. During SI+s, there is an increase in Σ[O/N2] ratio at auroral latitudes.

First storm‐time plasma velocity estimates from high‐resolution ionospheric data assimilation

This paper uses data assimilation to estimate ionospheric state during storm time at subdegree resolution. We use Ionospheric Data Assimilation Four‐Dimensional (IDA4D) to resolve the three‐dimensional time‐varying electron density gradients of the storm‐enhanced density poleward plume. By Estimating Model Parameters from Ionospheric Reverse Engineering (EMPIRE), we infer the three‐dimensional plasma velocity from the densities. EMPIRE estimates of ExB drift are made by correcting the Weimer 2000 electric potential model. This is the first time electron densities derived from GPS total electron content (TEC) data are being used to estimate field‐aligned and field‐perpendicular drifts at such high resolution, without reference to direct drift measurements. The time‐varying estimated electron densities are used to construct the ionospheric spatial decorrelation in vertical total electron content (TEC) on horizontal scales of less than 100 km. We compare slant TEC (STEC) estimates to actual STEC GPS observations, including independent unassimilated data. The IDA4D density model of the extreme ionospheric storm on 20 November 2003 shows STEC delays of up to 210 TEC units, comparable to the STEC of the GPS ground stations. Horizontal drifts from EMPIRE are predicted to be northwestward within the storm‐enhanced density plume and its boundary, turning northeast at high latitudes. These estimates compare favorably to independent Assimilative Mapping of Ionospheric Electrodynamics‐assimilated high‐latitude ExB drift estimates. Estimated and measured Defense Meteorological Satellite Program in situ drifts differ by a factor of 2–3 and in some cases have incorrect direction. This indicates that significant density rates of change and more accurate accounting for production and loss may be needed when other processes are not dominant.