Analisis of ionospheric topside model using GPS and Digisonde observables

A. MEZA, E. GULARTE SCARONE, C. BRUNINI, M. MOSERT

ADVANCES IN SPACE RESEARCH

Elsevier Ltd

Año: 2008 vol. 42 p. 712 - 719

0273-1177

Ground-based ionosphere sounding measurements, which model the bottom side electron density with high precision, are unable of dependably modeling the upper ionosphere above the F layer peak density height. Such information could be provided by Ground GPS (Global Positioning System) stations from total electron content (TEC) measurements. This study is based on the reconstruction of the upper electron density profile using two types of measurements: ionosonde ( ) and TEC (GPS-based). We implement our methodology using ionograms and dual-frequency observations recorded by a ground-based Digisonde and GPS station respectively, located at Ebro, Spain (at geomagnetic latitude 43.6º and geomagnetic longitude 80.9º) Our work aims to fit the parameters that define the upper electron content, making use of the difference between TEC and the electron density integral of the bottom side. The results are analyzed for solstices and equinoxes at different times.