GPS scintillations and total electron content climatology in the southern low, middle and high latitude regions

• Published in: Annals of Geophysics
• Main Authors: Spogli, L., Alfonsi, Lu., Cilliers, P. J., Correia, E., De Franceschi, G., Mitchell, C. N., Romano, V., Kinrade, J., Cabrera, M. A.
• Other Authors: Spogli, L.; Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia, Sezione Roma2, Roma, Italia, Alfonsi, Lu.; Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia, Sezione Roma2, Roma, Italia, Cilliers, P. J.; South African National Space Agency (SANSA), Space Science Directorate, Western Cape, South Africa, Correia, E.; Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas Espaciais (INPE), Centro de Rádio Astronomia e Astrofísica Mackenzie (CRAAM), São José dos Campos, Brazil, De Franceschi, G.; Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia, Sezione Roma2, Roma, Italia, Mitchell, C. N.; University of Bath, Electronic and Electrical Engineering, Bath, United Kingdom, Romano, V.; Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia, Sezione Roma2, Roma, Italia, Kinrade, J.; University of Bath, Electronic and Electrical Engineering, Bath, United Kingdom, Cabrera, M. A.; Laboratorio de Telecomunicaciones, Universidad Nacional de Tucumán (UNT), Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Tecnología (FACET), Departamento de Electricidad, Electrónica y Computación, Tucumán, Argentina, Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia, Sezione Roma2, Roma, Italia, South African National Space Agency (SANSA), Space Science Directorate, Western Cape, South Africa, Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas Espaciais (INPE), Centro de Rádio Astronomia e Astrofísica Mackenzie (CRAAM), São José dos Campos, Brazil, University of Bath, Electronic and Electrical Engineering, Bath, United Kingdom, Laboratorio de Telecomunicaciones, Universidad Nacional de Tucumán (UNT), Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Tecnología (FACET), Departamento de Electricidad, Electrónica y Computación, Tucumán, Argentina
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: INGV 2013
• Subjects: Scintillations; Dynamics; Solar-terrestrial interaction; Space weather; Statistical analysis; 01. Atmosphere::01.02. Ionosphere::01.02.05. Wave propagation; 01. Atmosphere::01.02. Ionosphere::01.02.06. Instruments and techniques; 01. Atmosphere::01.02. Ionosphere::01.02.07. Scintillations; 05. General::05.07. Space and Planetary sciences::05.07.02. Space weather; Alta; Antarc*; Antarctica
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/2122/8730; https://doi.org/10.4401/ag-6240

In recent years, several groups have installed high-frequency sampling receivers in the southern middle and high latitude regions, to monitor ionospheric scintillations and the total electron content (TEC) changes. Taking advantage of the archive of continuous and systematic observations of the ionosphere on L-band by means of signals from the Global Positioning System (GPS), we present the first attempt at ionospheric scintillation and TEC mapping from Latin America to Antarctica. The climatology of the area considered is derived through Ground-Based Scintillation Climatology, a method that can identify ionospheric sectors in which scintillations are more likely to occur. This study also introduces the novel ionospheric scintillation 'hot-spot' analysis. This analysis first identifies the crucial areas of the ionosphere in terms of enhanced probability of scintillation occurrence, and then it studies the seasonal variation of the main scintillation and TEC-related parameters. The results produced by this sophisticated analysis give significant indications of the spatial/ temporal recurrences of plasma irregularities, which contributes to the extending of current knowledge of the mechanisms that cause scintillations, and consequently to the development of efficient tools to forecast space-weather-related ionospheric events. Published R0220 1.7. Osservazioni di alta e media atmosfera 3.9. Fisica della magnetosfera, ionosfera e meteorologia spaziale JCR Journal open