Abstract
Amplitude scintillations in Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) signals are commonly observed at low latitudes and are frequently associated with equatorial plasma bubbles. The scintillation severity is enhanced around the equatorial ionization anomaly, being controlled, in great part, by the ionospheric F-region background density. This work proposes the use of collocated observations from space-based and distributed ground-based monitors to quantify the relationship between the background F-region peak electron density (NmF2) and scintillation severity. To test the proposed approach and its feasibility, NmF2 observations from the Global-scale Observations of the Limb and Disk (GOLD) instrument and L-band scintillation measurements made by a network of GNSS-based scintillation monitors were used. The observations were made at low latitudes in October 2022, during the ascending phase of solar cycle 25. Results show the influence of background NmF2 on scintillation severity. The results also quantify the control of the latitudinal distribution of maximum S4 values [S4 (max)] by the latitudinal variation of NmF2. An empirical relationship between NmF2 and S4 (max) for a given local time was also derived for the time of GOLD observations. An application of the empirical relationship between NmF2 and maximum S4 is illustrated with regional (Brazilian) maps of potential maximum scintillation severity using GOLD-like data. Encouraging results include showing that S4 (max) can be estimated from independent observations for a distinct longitude sector, but similar solar flux and season. Future studies will address to what extent the relationship between NmF2 and S4 (max) varies for different geophysical conditions.
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Data availability
The GOLD data is available at the GOLD Science Data Center (https://gold.cs.ucf.edu/data/search/) and at the NASA Space Physics Data Facility (https://spdf.gsfc.nasa.gov/). The IGRF13 used to calculate geomagnetic components is available at https://www.ngdc.noaa.gov/IAGA/vmod/igrf.html. The scintillation data is available at https://ismrquerytool.fct.unesp.br/is/#.
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Acknowledgements
Research at UT Dallas was supported by NSF awards AGS-1916055 and AGS-2122639. A. O. Moraes is grateful to CNPq (309389/2021-6). R. W. Eastes was supported by NASA contract 80GSFC18C0061 to the University of Colorado. J. F. G. Monico acknowledges CNPq (304773/2021-2). Authors would like to thank the International Association of Geomagnetism and Aeronomy (IAGA) and all the scientific and technical staff responsible for the distribution of the International Geomagnetic Reference Field (IGRF). Projects CIGALA/CALIBRA were funded by the European Commission (EC) in the framework of awards FP7-GALILEO-2009-GSA and FP7–GALILEO–2011–GSA–1a, as well of FAPESP award 06/04008-2. INCT NavAer is supported by CNPq (465648/2014-2) and FAPESP (2017/50115-0). GOLD is supported by NASA contract 80GSFC18C0061 to the University of Colorado.
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JSS contributed with processing of the observations, writing of the manuscript, figures, and interpretation of the results. FSR proposed the study and contributed with interpretation of the results and writing of the manuscript. AOM contributed with processing, interpretation of scintillation data and writing of the manuscript. RWE curated the GOLD data and contributed with the writing of the manuscript. JFGM curated the scintillation data and writing of the manuscript. All authors reviewed the manuscript.
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Sousasantos, J., Rodrigues, F.S., Moraes, A.O. et al. On the estimation of scintillation severity using background F-region peak densities: description and example results using GOLD observations. GPS Solut 28, 62 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10291-023-01602-6
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10291-023-01602-6