Rate Of Change Of TEC Research Articles

Ionospheric irregularities observed during the geomagnetic storm of March 2015 and June 2015 over Ethiopia

In this paper we studied the occurrence of ionospheric irregularities over Ethiopia as the consequence of the intense geomagnetic storm of March 2015 and June 2015. Total Electron Content (TEC) data obtained from six Ethiopian GPS reciever stations and those data were used to derive the ionospheric irregularities proxy indices, e.g.,rate of change of TEC (ROT) and ROT index (ROTI). These indices were used to characterize the intensity of the fluctuation of total electron content. ROTI was used as a criterion of ionospheric irregularities that took place during the storm. These indices were characterized along side with the disturbance storm time (Dst),the Interplanetary Electric Field (IEFy) and the SYM-H index (high resolution version of Dst) from ground-based magnetometers to see the effect of geomagnetic storm on horizontal component of geomagnetic field. Irregularities manifested in the form of fluctuations in TEC. Prompt penetration of electric field (PPEF) modulated the behaviour of irregularities during the initial and recovery phases of the geomagnetic storms. As a result,it was observed that the irregularities in the ionosphere of Ethiopia was in the range from weak to moderate. These irregularities generally occurred during the initial and recovery phases of the storm at all selected stations. The effect of electric field is found to depend on the local time at which the IMF Bz turned into southward. Therefore,east - west fluctuating Ey in March storm main phase is associated with suppression of irregularities in all stations and eastward Ey in the main phase of June 2015 is associated with small scale irregularity formation. The generation (inhibition) of irregularities is related to the effect of eastward (westward) storm time electric field disturbance dynamo electric fields and prompt penetration electric fields that created favourable (unfavourable) conditions for the generation of irregularities by uplifting (lowering) the F region.

Storm‐Time Observations of Traveling Ionospheric Disturbances and Ionospheric Irregularities in East Africa

AbstractIn this paper equatorward propagating large scale traveling ionospheric disturbance (LSTID) on 17 March 2015 were investigated using the Statistical Angle‐of‐Arrival and Doppler Method for GPS (SADM‐GPS) radio interferometry technique in data‐scarce East Africa. To apply the SADM‐GPS method, 5 GPS arrays each with 3 GPS receivers arranged in a triangular geometry were used. Our results show that during 15:00–18:00 UT on 17 March, TIDs with mean horizontal velocities between 161.9 and 464.4 m/s were observed. Using the wavelet analysis, the periods of TIDs in a range of 51–69 min that qualify to LSTIDs were revealed. The peak‐to‐peak phase shift of detrended total electron content (TEC) over latitudes in this study confirms the equatorward TID propagation, which was obtained by the SADM‐GPS technique. A pair of magnetometers were used to infer E × B drift and an adequate agreement was found with Swarm satellites derived plasma density that enabled us to explain the behaviour of ionospheric irregularity during the main phase of the geomagnetic storm. Moreover, significant TEC enhancement (reaching ∼20%–105%) were captured by GPS arrays during the period of TID propagation. Nevertheless, the rate of change of TEC (ROT) and ROT index (ROTI) show wavy structures that reflect TID effects over ionospheric modulations during the post noon to evening hours of 17 March 2015.

Occurrence characteristics of equatorial plasma bubbles over Kisumu, Kenya during Solar maximum of Solar Cycle 24

Equatorial Plasma Bubbles (EPBs) are irregular plasma density depletions in the ambient electron density in the equatorial F-region ionosphere generated after sunset. EPBs are known to bring disruptions to telecommunication and navigation systems. This paper investigates the occurrence of EPBs over Kisumu, Kenya (Geomagnetic coordinates: 9.64o S, 108.59o E; Geographic coordinates: 0.02o S, 34.6o E) for a few selected quiet and storm days between 1st January 2013 and 31st December 2014 which was a high Solar activity period for Solar Cycle 24. The study brings out EPB occurrence pattern over Kisumu, Kenya for the selected quiet and storm days of 2013 and 2014. The Receiver Independent Exchange (RINEX) data was retrieved from the Kisumu high data-rate NovAtel GSV4004B SCINDA-GPS receiver. The data was unzipped and processed to obtain Vertical Total Electron Content (VTEC), amplitude scintillation (S4) and Universal Time (UT) which were then fed into MATLAB to generate VTEC and S4 plots against UT for each selected quiet and storm day within the years 2013 and 2014. The Total Electron Content (TEC) depletion depths and S4 index values between 16:00 and 20:00 UT for each selected quiet and storm day were extracted from the VTEC and S4 plots and used to plot TEC depletion depths and S4 plots. The Rate of Change of TEC (ROT) and Rate of Change of TEC Index (ROTI) between 16:00 and 20:00 UT were generated from VTEC and used to plot ROT and the corresponding ROTI plots against UT. TEC depletion depths and ROTI values for each selected quiet and storm day between 16:00 and 20:00 UT were extracted and used to plot TEC depletion depths and ROTI plots and S4 index and ROTI plots. In this study, the enhancement of S4 index corresponded well with TEC depletions, increased fluctuation of ROT and higher ROTI values between 16:00UT and 20:00UT for most days. This correspondence was used in inferring the occurrence of EPBs during the selected quiet and storm days of the years 2013 and 2014. The obtained results showed that the highest EPB occurrence was during March equinox with 33.33% occurrence in the year 2013 and 30.76% occurrence in the year 2014, followed by the September equinox which had 20.38% occurrence in 2013 and 17.26% occurrence in 2014. The seasonal variation of EPB occurrence was attributed to the variation in the daytime E x B drift velocities. Larger E x B drift velocities resulted in increased EPB occurrence in the equinoctial period (March, April, August and September) and November solstice period (November and December) while lower E x B drift velocities resulted in reduced EPB occurrence in the June solstice period (June and July). The percentage EPB occurrence in the year 2013 was 6.49% while in the year 2014 was 4.32%. The storm period had percentage EPB occurrence of 21.42% in the year 2013 and 21.88% in the year 2014 while the quiet period had percentage EPB occurrence of 18.75% in the year 2013 and 7.89% in the year 2014. These results clearly showed that the percentage EPB occurrence was higher during the storm period than in the quiet period. Hence the development of EPBs was enhanced by geomagnetic activity through several competing dynamics such as Prompt Penetration Electric Field (PPEF), Disturbance Dynamo Electric Field (DDEF) and reduction in electron density due to increased recombination rates. Â

Detecting ionospheric disturbances using GPS without aliasing caused by non-uniform spatial sampling: Algorithm, validation and illustration

Ionospheric disturbance (ID) detected using GPS based Total Electron Content (TEC) measurements are widely used to study the morphology and dynamics of the ionosphere, and its impact on radio communication and satellite based navigation. The IDs normally derived as rate of change of TEC (ROT) between consecutive ionospheric pierce points at uniform time interval implicitly results in non-uniform spatial sampling along the GPS satellite tracks. The non-uniform spatial sampling introduces aliasing in ROT. These aliasing corrupt amplitude and Signal-to-Noise Ratio (SNR) of the detected IDs. In this study, we propose a Spatio-Periodic Leveling Algorithm (SPLA) to remove such aliasing. Efficiency of the proposed algorithm was tested by simulating the IDs along a satellite track and validated with GPS observations carried out during 2015 St. Patrick's day geomagnetic storm. Spatiotemporal, and SNR analyses of simulated and observed IDs reveal that the SPLA is (i) efficient in removing the aliases, (ii) increases the SNR on an average of 99.5% compared to ROT, (iii) removes the need of applying elevation cut-off, and (iv) expands the area of coverage up to 65%.

Periodic Modulation of the Upper Ionosphere by ULF Waves as Observed Simultaneously by SuperDARN Radars and GPS/TEC Technique

AbstractRecent work has demonstrated that global Pc5 pulsations observed by ground‐based magnetometers may be accompanied by periodic oscillations in the total electron content (TEC) of the ionosphere measured by GPS receivers. These TEC observations may provide new insights into magnetosphere‐ionosphere coupling mechanisms, especially when combined with other ground‐based observational techniques. Presented in this paper is a large‐scale morning sector Pc5 event which was observed simultaneously by ground‐based magnetometers, two high‐frequency Super Dual Auroral Radar Network (SuperDARN) radars, and several Global Positioning System (GPS)/TEC receivers. The transient 2.6 mHz pulsations observed by the ground magnetometers and radars are accompanied by periodic fluctuations in the time rate‐of‐change of TEC (ROT) at the same frequency. To investigate possible mechanisms for the TEC modulation by ultralow frequency (ULF) waves, we determine the ratios between the spectral amplitudes of the magnetic, ionospheric Doppler velocity and ROT oscillations. The relationship between the simultaneous magnetic field and ionospheric Doppler velocity oscillations can be reasonably well interpreted using the theory of Alfven wave interaction with the thin ionospheric layer. Though the observed ratio between ROT and Doppler velocity amplitudes can be explained by the occurrence of local steep gradient of the topside ionosphere plasma at auroral latitudes, the responsible modulation mechanism cannot be considered as firmly established.

Variability of VTEC Gradient and TEC Rate Index Over Kisumu, Kenya During Selected Quiet and Storm Days of 2013 and 2014

Vertical Total electron content (VTEC) gradient or rate of change of TEC (ROT) and total electron content (TEC) rate index or rate of change of TEC index (ROTI) can directly be estimated from receiver independent exchange (RINEX) data and can be used to estimate presence and intensity of ionospheric irregularities. In this paper we present results of the variation of ROT and ROTI over Kisumu, Kenya (Geomagnetic coordinates: 9.64°S, 108.59°E; Geographic coordinates: 0.02°S, 34.6°E) for both selected quiet and disturbed conditions between 1^st January 2013 and 31^st December 2014 using data derived from NovAtel GSV4004B SCINDA-GPS receiver at Kisumu as a step in establishing ionospheric irregularities over Kisumu, Kenya during a high solar activity period of solar cycle 24. ROT was calculated from filtered average daily VTEC data within intervals of 120 seconds while ROTI was computed over 4 minutes window from ROT. ROT and corresponding ROTI for the selected quiet and storm days were plotted against universal time (UT). The presence and intensity of irregularities on the selected quiet and storm days of the years 2013 and 2014 were determined by checking ROT fluctuations and the corresponding ROTI values from the plots. The obtained results showed increased fluctuation of ROT corresponding with large ROTI values after sunset. The selected storm days of the years 2013 and 2014 had higher ROTI values than the selected quiet days of the years 2013 and 2014. The higher ROTI values during the selected storm days may be attributed to the impact of geomagnetic storms brought about by several competing dynamics including Prompt penetration electric field (PPEF), disturbance dynamo electric field (DDEF) and reduction in electron density due to increased recombination rates. The high ROTI values after sunset were a manifestation of post-sunset plasma irregularities. The obtained results also showed a diurnal trend for ROT and ROTI where ROT increased steadily from 0.00UT to around 12:00UT before falling and having an increased fluctuation between 18:00UT and 20:00UT. This corresponded well with low ROTI values between 0:00UT and 16:00UT followed by high ROTI values between 18:00UT and 20:00UT. The diurnal variability of ROT might have resulted from variation of TEC and which was attributed to changes in the intensity of incoming solar radiation.

Geomagnetic storm effects on the occurrences of ionospheric irregularities over the African equatorial/low-latitude region

The study investigated the effects of intense geomagnetic storms of 2015 on the occurrences of large scale ionospheric irregularities over the African equatorial/low-latitude region. Four major/intense geomagnetic storms of 2015 were analyzed for this study. These storms occurred on 17th March 2015 (−229 nT), 22nd June 2015 (−204 nT), 7th October 2015 (−124 nT), and 20th December 2015 (−170 nT). Total Electron Content (TEC) data obtained from five African Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) stations, grouped into eastern and western sectors were used to derive the ionospheric irregularities proxy indices, e.g., rate of change of TEC (ROT), ROT index (ROTI) and ROTI daily average (ROTIAVE). These indices were characterized alongside with the disturbance storm time (Dst), the Y component of the Interplanetary Electric Field (IEFy), polar cap (PC) index and the H component of the Earth’s magnetic field from ground-based magnetometers. Irregularities manifested in the form of fluctuations in TEC. Prompt penetration of electric field (PPEF) and disturbance dynamo electric field (DDEF) modulated the behaviour of irregularities during the main and recovery phases of the geomagnetic storms. The effect of electric field over both sectors depends on the local time of southward turning of IMF Bz. Consequently, westward electric field inhibited irregularities during the main phase of March and October 2015 geomagnetic storms, while for the June 2015 storm, eastward electric field triggered weak irregularities over the eastern sector. The effect of electric field on irregularities during December 2015 storm was insignificant. During the recovery phase of the storms, westward DDEF suppressed irregularities.

Study of TEC fluctuation via stochastic models and Bayesian inversion

AbstractWe propose stochastic processes to be used to model the total electron content (TEC) observation. Based on this, we model the rate of change of TEC (ROT) variation during ionospheric quiet conditions with stationary processes. During ionospheric disturbed conditions, for example, when irregularity in ionospheric electron density distribution occurs, stationarity assumption over long time periods is no longer valid. In these cases, we make the parameter estimation for short time scales, during which we can assume stationarity. We show the relationship between the new method and commonly used TEC characterization parameters ROT and the ROT Index (ROTI). We construct our parametric model within the framework of Bayesian statistical inverse problems and hence give the solution as an a posteriori probability distribution. Bayesian framework allows us to model measurement errors systematically. Similarly, we mitigate variation of TEC due to factors which are not of ionospheric origin, like due to the motion of satellites relative to the receiver, by incorporating a priori knowledge in the Bayesian model. In practical computations, we draw the so‐called maximum a posteriori estimates, which are our ROT and ROTI estimates, from the posterior distribution. Because the algorithm allows to estimate ROTI at each observation time, the estimator does not depend on the period of time for ROTI computation. We verify the method by analyzing TEC data recorded by GPS receiver located in Ethiopia (11.6°N, 37.4°E). The results indicate that the TEC fluctuations caused by the ionospheric irregularity can be effectively detected and quantified from the estimated ROT and ROTI values.

Evaluation of Precise Point Positioning accuracy under large total electron content variations in equatorial latitudes

The ionosphere is one of the largest contributors to errors in GNSS positioning. Although in Precise Point Positioning (PPP) the ionospheric delay is corrected to a first order through the ‘iono-free combination’, significant errors may still be observed when large electron density gradients are present. To confirm this phenomenon, the temporal behavior of intense fluctuations of total electron content (TEC) and PPP altitude accuracy at equatorial latitudes are analyzed during four years of different solar activity. For this purpose, equatorial plasma irregularities are identified with periods of high rate of change of TEC (ROT). The largest ROT values are observed from 19:00 to 01:00LT, especially around magnetic equinoxes, although some differences exist between the stations depending on their location. Highest ROT values are observed in the American and African regions. In general, large ROT events are accompanied by frequent satellite signal losses and an increase in the PPP altitude error during years 2001, 2004 and 2011. A significant increase in the PPP altitude error RMS is observed in epochs of high ROT with respect to epochs of low ROT in years 2001, 2004 and 2011, reaching up to 0.26m in the 19:00–01:00LT period.

A study of L band scintillations during the initial phase of rising solar activity at an Indian low latitude station

The ionospheric scintillation and TEC (Total Electron Content) variations are studied using GPS (Global Positioning System) measurements at an Indian low latitude station Surat (21.16°N, 72.78°E; Geomagnetic: 12.90°N, 147.35°E), situated near the northern crest of the equatorial anomaly region. The results are presented for data collected during the initial phase of current rising solar activity (low to moderate solar activity) period between January 2009 and December 2011. The results show that within a total number of 656 night-time scintillation events, 340 events are observed with TEC depletions, Rate of change of TEC (ROT) fluctuations and enhancement of Rate of change of TEC Index (ROTI). A comparison of night-time scintillation events from the considered period reveal strong correlation amongst the duration of scintillation activity in S4 index, TEC depletion, ROT fluctuations and ROTI enhancement in the year 2011, followed by the year 2010 and least in 2009. The statistical analyses of scintillation activity with enhancement of ROTI also show that about 70–96% scintillation activity took place in equinox and winter months. Moreover, from a nocturnal variation in occurrence of scintillation with (S4⩾0.2) and enhancement of ROTI with (ROTI⩾0.5), a general trend of higher occurrence in pre-midnight hours of equinox and winter seasons is observed in both indices during the year 2011 and 2010, while no significant trend is observed in the year 2009. The results suggest the presence of F-region ionospheric irregularities with scale sizes of few kilometers and few hundred meters over Surat and are found to be influenced by solar and magnetic activity.

Investigation of ionospheric scintillation at UKM station, Malaysia during low solar activity

In this paper the investigation of the occurrence of ionospheric scintillation with S4≥0.2 was conducted by using a dual-frequency GISTM (GPS Ionospheric Scintillation and TEC monitor) at Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia station, Malaysia (2.55°N, 101.46°E; geomagnetic: 7.39°S, 173.63°E) between September 2009 and December 2010. The study shows that significant nighttime amplitude scintillation event with 0.4≤S4<0.6 mainly occurred in the months of March, September and October, while significant daytime amplitude scintillation activity took place in November and December with 0.3≤S4<0.5. Moreover, nighttime amplitude scintillation observed at UKM station always occurred with phase scintillations, total electron content (TEC) depletions, rate of change of TEC (ROT) fluctuations and the enhancement of rate of TEC index (ROTI). Nevertheless, during daytime amplitude scintillation, TEC depletions and ROT fluctuations were much weaker than those that occurred during nighttime and this may be caused by small scale irregularities in the E region, called sporadic-E (Es), while the occurrences of nighttime amplitude scintillation maybe caused by the ionospheric irregularities in the F region.

A study of L‐band scintillations and total electron content at an equatorial station, Lagos, Nigeria

In this paper we present the first results from measurements of scintillation and total electron content (TEC) from an equatorial station, Lagos (Latitude 6.5°N, Longitude 3.4°E, magnetic latitude 3.03°S), Nigeria, using a Novatel GSV4004B GPS ionospheric scintillation and TEC monitor. Details are presented for data collected between February 2010 and August 2010. The results show that the presence of some large scale depletions of TEC or plasma bubbles may be noted during the evening hours and that TEC depletions correspond to increased rate of change of TEC (ROT). This confirms that plasma bubbles are associated with large scale irregularities. It is also established that enhanced amplitude scintillation (S4) corresponds quite well with TEC depletions and increases in ROT. The diurnal and seasonal percentage occurrence for different levels of scintillation activity has peaks in the equinox months (March and April) at 23:00 LT.

Ionospheric scintillations at Guilin detected by GPS ground-based and radio occultation observations

The occurrence of ionospheric scintillations with S4 ⩾ 0.2 was studied using GPS measurements at Guilin, China (25.29°N, 110.33°E; geomagnetic: 15.04°N, 181.98°E), a station located near the northern crest of the equatorial anomaly. The results are presented for data collected from January 2009 to March 2010. The results show that nighttime amplitude scintillations only took place in February and March of the considered years, while daytime amplitude scintillations occurred in August and December of 2009. Nighttime amplitude scintillations, observed in the south of Guilin, always occurred with phase scintillations, TEC (Total Electron Content) depletions, and ROT (Rate Of change of TEC) fluctuations. However, TEC depletions and ROT fluctuations were weak during daytime amplitude scintillations, and daytime amplitude scintillations always took place simultaneously for most of the GPS satellites which appeared over Guilin in different azimuth directions. Ground-based GPS scintillation/TEC observations recorded at Guilin and signal-to-noise-ratio (SNR) measurements obtained from GPS-COSMIC radio occultation indicate that nighttime and daytime scintillations are very likely caused by ionospheric F region irregularities and sporadic E, respectively. Moreover, strong daytime amplitude scintillations may be associated with the plasma density enhancements in ionospheric E region caused by the Perseid and Geminid meteor shower activities.

A study of GPS ionospheric scintillations observed at Guilin

The occurrence of strong ionospheric scintillations with S4≥0.2 was studied using global positioning system (GPS) measurements at Guilin (25.29°N, 110.33°E; geomagnetic: 15.04°N, 181.98°E), a station located near the northern crest of equatorial anomaly in China. The results are presented for data collected from January 2007 to December 2008. The results show that amplitude scintillations occurred only during the first five months of the considered years. Nighttime amplitude scintillations, observed mainly in the south of Guilin, always occurred with phase scintillations, total electron content (TEC) depletions, and Rate Of change of TEC (ROT) fluctuations. However, TEC depletions and ROT fluctuations were weak during daytime amplitude scintillations, and daytime amplitude scintillations usually occurred in most of the azimuth directions. GPS scintillation/TEC observations recorded at Guilin and signal-to-noise-ratio measurements obtained from GPS-COSMIC radio occultation indicate that nighttime and daytime scintillations are very likely caused by ionospheric F region irregularities and sporadic E, respectively.

A comparison of TEC fluctuations and scintillations at Ascension Island

With increasing reliance on space-based platforms for global navigation and communication, concerns about the impact of ionospheric scintillation on these systems have become a high priority. Recently, the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) performed amplitude scintillation measurements of L1 (1.575 MHz) signals from GPS satellites at Ascension Island (14.45° W, 7.95° S; magnetic latitude 16° S) during February–April, 1998, to compare amplitude scintillations with fluctuations of the total electron content (TEC). Ascension Island is located in the South Atlantic under the southern crest of the equatorial anomaly of F2 ionization where scintillations will be much enhanced during the upcoming solar maximum period. Ascension Island is included in the global network of the International GPS Service (IGS) and the GPS receivers in this network report the carrier to noise ( C/ N) ratio, the dual frequency carrier phase and pseudorange data at 30-s intervals. Such data with a sampling interval of 30 s were analyzed to determine TEC, the rate of change of TEC (ROT) and also ROTI, defined as the standard deviation of ROT. The spatial scale of ROTI, sampled at 30 s interval, will correspond to 6 km when the vector sum of the ionospheric projection of the satellite velocity and the irregularity drift orthogonal to the propagation path is of the order of 100 m/s. On the other hand, the scale-length of the amplitude scintillation index corresponds to the Fresnel dimension which is about 400 m for the GPS L1 frequency and an ionospheric height of 400 km. It is shown that, in view of the co-existence of large and small scale irregularities in equatorial irregularity structures, during the early evening hours, and small magnitude of irregularity drifts, ROTI measurements can be used to predict the presence of scintillation causing irregularities. The quantitative relationship between ROTI and S4, however, varies considerably due to variations of the ionospheric projection of the satellite velocity and the ionospheric irregularity drift. During the post-midnight period, due to the decay of small scale irregularities leading to a steepening of irregularity power spectrum, ROTI, on occasions, may not be associated with detectable levels of scintillation. In view of the power law type of irregularity power spectrum, ROTI will, in general, be larger than S4 and the ratio, ROTI/S4, in the present dataset is found to vary between 2 and 10. At high latitudes, where the ionospheric motion, driven by large electric fields of magnetospheric origin, is much enhanced during magnetically active periods, ROTI/S4 may be considerably larger than that in the equatorial region.