In this study, global positioning system (GPS)-derived precipitable water vapor (PWV) and microwave radiometer (MWR)-measured integrated water vapor (IWV) were compared and their characteristics were analyzed. Comparing those two quantities for two years from August 2009, we found that GPS PWV estimates were larger than MWR IWV. The average differ ence over the entire test period was 1.1 mm and the standard deviation was 1.2 mm. When the discrepancies between GPS PWV and MWR IWV were analyzed depending on season, the average difference was 0.7 mm and 1.9 mm in the winter and summer months, respectively. Thus, the average difference was about 2.5 times larger in summer than that in winter. However, MWR IWV measurements in the winter months were over-estimated than those in the summer months as the water vapor content got larger. The results of the diurnal analysis showed that MWR IWV was underestimated in the daytime, showing a difference of 0.8 mm. In the early morning hours, MWR IWV has a tendency to be over-estimated, with a difference of 1.3 mm with respect to GPS PWV.

The ionospheric error, which is one of many error elements considered during the Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) positioning, is hard to be predicted due to the influence of geomagnetic activity and irregular solar activities. Thus, the present study analyzed a change pattern in the ionosphere through Global Ionosphere Map (GIM) data for 12 years from 2003 to 2014 and a variation in the Slant Total Electron Content (STEC) between Sinuiju and Busan which was the longest range in the southeastern direction of the Korean Peninsula. The variation in the STEC verified the diurnal, annual, and solar cycle variations due to the influence of solar activity. The diurnal variation was characterized that the variation in the STEC started to increase from 6-7 am and reached the maximum at 13-14 pm followed by being decreased. The seasonal variation was characterized that the variation in the STEC was high in spring and autumn whereas it was low in summer and winter. The solar cycle variation revealed that the variation in the STEC increased during solar maximum and decreased during solar minimum. The variation in the STEC was up to 20 Total Electron Content Unit (TECU) during the solar minimum and up to 60 TECU during solar maximum.