Solar Cycle Variations of GPS Amplitude Scintillation for the Polar Region

Meziane, K.; Kashcheyev, A.; Patra, S.; Jayachandran, P. T.; Hamza, A. M.

doi:10.1029/2019sw002434

Cited by 21 publications

(19 citation statements)

References 41 publications

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“…It also indicates that the scintillations containing some amount of amplitude fluctuation may occur at local daytime or local night. The observation of amplitude scintillations at local daytime during solar maximum agrees with the study conducted of polar cap scintillations by Meziane et al (2020), who found L1 amplitude scintillations primarily occurring on the dayside, and with a solar cycle dependence.…”

Section: Amplitude and Both-phase-and-amplitude Scintillation Eventssupporting

confidence: 90%

Multiyear Detection, Classification and Hypothesis of Ionospheric Layer Causing GNSS Scintillation

2021

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Extreme ultra-violet (EUV) radiation partially ionizes the atmosphere from about 50 km altitude and higher. The ionospheric F layer, from about 150 km and up, peaks in density around 350-450 km and is strongly driven by electromagnetic forcing. The E layer from about 85-150 km is driven not only by electrodynamics but also neutral winds due to the higher density of the thermosphere. In addition to having layers, the ionospheric plasma density may be horizontally structured at scale sizes ranging from global down to tens of meters horizontally. The auroral zone has dynamics largely driven by the interaction of the magnetosphere with the ionosphere and thermosphere along the Earth's field lines. In this zone, large scale features can give rise to smaller scale plasma density variations, of order 100 m across. Radio waves propagating through these density variations may undergo fluctuations, known as scintillation, of the signal phase or amplitude when received. Ionospheric scintillation can interrupt radio communications and degrade satellite-based navigation services. Numerous researchers have worked in measuring, modeling, and mitigating scintillation.Scintillation investigations dating back to Aarons (1982) have quantified where in the ionosphere scintillations tend to occur (Basu et al., 1988). The high-latitude and low-latitude zones are understood to have dynamic instabilities that can lead to multi-scale structuring at the scale sizes that affect Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) signals such as the Global Positioning System (GPS). Prior to the development of scintillation monitoring receivers, Aarons (1997) used geodetic GPS stations in the auroral latitudes to investigate phase fluctuations associated with scintillations. In the polar zone, Alfonsi et al. (2011) investigated scintillation data in both polar regions for solar minimum year 2008 and noted that the cusp is associated with a significant number of phase scintillations, and that polar cap patches are associated with amplitude or phase scintillations. More recently, interest has grown in the occurrence of mid-latitude scintillations (Mrak et al., 2020). While numerous campaigns with scintillation receivers have been conducted through the years (Jayachandran et al., 2009;Jiao et al., 2013), multi-year studies are valuable for looking at trends with solar cycle. The 11-year solar cycle period is important for determining the amount of solar radiation, particularly ionizing EUV, emitted towards the Earth that influences the global density of the ionosphere as well as transient geomagnetic storms.

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Section: Amplitude and Both-phase-and-amplitude Scintillation Eventssupporting

confidence: 90%

Multiyear Detection, Classification and Hypothesis of Ionospheric Layer Causing GNSS Scintillation

2021

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“…Extensive variations in the solar wind as well as in the SME index along with several northward‐southward IMF rotations are seen during the selected time interval. While the measured amplitude scintillation index value constantly remains at the background level during the entire interval, the signal phase index experiences the diurnal pattern variations; amplitude scintillation are usually absent during the minimum phase of the solar cycle (Meziane et al., 2020). For both indices, the model (red trace) satisfactorily reproduces all the signal observed features (blue trace).…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The impact of the solar cycle on ionospheric scintillation is now well established (Aarons et al., 1981; Meziane et al., 2020). During the 11‐years cycle, the ultraviolet radiation intensity emitted by the Sun varies by one order of magnitude.…”

Section: Predictors Selectionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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A Bayesian Inference‐Based Empirical Model for Scintillation Indices for High‐Latitude

et al. 2021

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The Bayesian inference method is used for forecast GPS L1 scintillation indices S 4 and σ Φ .• Using solar wind characteristics in addition to the SuperMAG auroral electrojet index, the model satisfactorily captures all the essential dynamics of the scintillation indices. 10• The method can be used to forecast the ionospheric scintillation activity subject 11 to the availability of the interplanetary driver's data.

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“…Amplitude scintillation occurrence in the polar region is very low due to the nature of the scintillation producing irregularities [37]. It is compounded by completed dominance of phase variations due to the problems with the detrending of the phase of the GNSS signal [12,13] to determine the phase scintillation index.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Global Positioning System (GPS) Scintillation Associated with a Polar Cap Patch

et al. 2021

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A Global Positioning System (GPS) network in the polar cap, along with ionosonde and SuperDARN radar measurements, are used to study GPS signal amplitude and phase scintillation associated with a polar cap patch. The patch was formed due to a north-to-south transition of the interplanetary magnetic field (IMF Bz). The patch moved antisunward with an average speed of ~600 m/s and lasted for ~2 h. Significant scintillation occurred on the leading edge of the patch, with smaller bursts of scintillation inside and on the trailing edge. As the patch moved, it maintained the integrity of the scintillation, producing irregularities (Fresnel scale) on the leading edge. There were no convection shears or changes in the direction of convection during scintillation events. Observations suggest that scintillation-producing Fresnel scale structures are generated through the non-linear evolution of the gradient drift instability mechanism.

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Solar Cycle Variations of GPS Amplitude Scintillation for the Polar Region

Cited by 21 publications

References 41 publications

Multiyear Detection, Classification and Hypothesis of Ionospheric Layer Causing GNSS Scintillation

Multiyear Detection, Classification and Hypothesis of Ionospheric Layer Causing GNSS Scintillation

A Bayesian Inference‐Based Empirical Model for Scintillation Indices for High‐Latitude

Global Positioning System (GPS) Scintillation Associated with a Polar Cap Patch

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