GNSS ionospheric scintillation and TEC monitoring using GPStation-6

Abstract

Ionospheric disturbances induce rapid fluctuations in the phase and the amplitude of received GNSS signals. Given the predictable impact of the Ionosphere on the GNSS signals, these signals provide an excellent tool for ionospheric monitoring on a global and continuous basis. This paper discusses GNSS ionospheric scintillation and TEC and the short comings of previous ionospheric monitoring that used GPS only dual frequency receivers with Semi-codeless tracking of the GPS L2 signal. This greatly limits the accuracy, robustness and utility of the ionospheric TEC measurements and is useless for scintillation measurements on L2. It introduces the NovAtel GPStation-6 next generation monitor that incorporates a modern receiver design with the ability to track multi-constellation, multi-frequency, GNSS measurements. Examples of these new robust and less noisy ionospheric measurements including those from the Chinese Beidou constellation are provided.