Assessment of International GNSS Service Global Ionosphere Map products over China region based on measurements from the Crustal Movement Observation Network of China

The global ionosphere maps(GIM)provided by the International GNSS Service(IGS)are extensively utilized for ionospheric morphology monitoring,scientific research,and practical application.Assessing the credibility of GIM products in data-sparse regions is of paramount importance.In this study,measurements from the Crustal Movement Observation Network of China(CMONOC)are leveraged to evaluate the suitability of IGS-GIM products over China region in 2013-2014.The indices of mean error(ME),root mean square error(RMSE),and normalized RMSE(NRMSE)are then utilized to quantify the accuracy of IGS-GIM products.Results revealed distinct local time and latitudinal dependencies in IGS-GIM errors,with substantially high errors at nighttime(NRMSE:39%)and above 40°latitude(NRMSE:49%).Seasonal differences also emerged,with larger equinoctial deviations(NRMSE:33.5%)compared with summer(20%).A preliminary analysis implied that the irregular assimilation of sparse IGS observations,compounded by China’s distinct geomagnetic topology,may manifest as error variations.These results suggest that modeling based solely on IGS-GIM observations engenders inadequate representations across China and that a thorough examination would proffer the necessary foundation for advancing regional total electron content(TEC)constructions.

Manifestations of the earthquake preparations in the ionosphere total electron content variations

Recent ionospheric observations report anomalous total electron content (TEC) deviations prior strong earthquakes. We discuss common fetures of the pre-earthquake TEC disturbances on the basis of statistics covering 50 strong seismic events during 2005-2006. The F2-layer ionospheric plasma drift under action of the electric fields of seismic origin is proposed as the main reason of producing TEC anomalies. The origin of such electric fields is discussed in terms of the lithosphere-atmosphere-ionosphere coupling system. This theory is supported by numerical simulations using global Upper Atmosphere Model (UAM). UAM calculations show that the vertical electric current with the density of about 20 - 40 nA/m2 flowing between the Earth and ionosphere over an area of about 200 by 2000 km is required to produce the TEC disturbances with the amplitude of about 30% - 50% relatively to the non-disturbed conditions. Ionosphere responses on the variations of the latitudinal position, direction and configuration of the vertical electric currents have been investigated. We show that not only the vertical component of the ionospheric plasma drift but also horizontal components play an important role in producing pre-earthquake TEC disturbances.

Total Electron Content during Recurrent and Quiet Geomagnetic Periods at the Koudougou Station in Burkina Faso

In this work, the comparative study of total electron content (TEC) between recurrent and quiet geomagnetic periods of solar cycle 24 at Koudougou station with geographical coordinates 12°15'N;- 2°20'E was addressed. This study aims to analyze how geomagnetic variations influence the behavior of TEC in this specific region. The geomagnetic indices Kp and Dst were used to select quiet and recurrent days. Statistical analysis was used to interpret the graphs. The results show that the mean diurnal TEC has a minimum before dawn (around 0500 UT) and reaches a maximum value around 1400 UT, progressively decreasing after sunset. In comparison, the average diurnal TEC on recurrent days is slightly higher than on quiet days, with an average difference of 7 TECU. This difference increases with the level of geomagnetic disturbance, reaching 21 TECU during a moderate storm. The study also reveals significant monthly variations, with March and October showing the highest TEC values for quiet and recurrent days, respectively. Equinox months show the highest mean values, while solstice months show the lowest. Signatures of semi-annual, winter and equatorial ionization anomalies were observed. When analyzing annual variations, it was found that the TEC variation depends significantly on F10.7 solar flux, explaining up to 98% during recurrent geomagnetic activity and 92% during quiet geomagnetic activity.

Questions on Optimization of Measurement of Total Electron Content in Ionosphere with GPS

The analysis of existing method for calculation of total content of electrons (TEC) in ionosphere using GPS occultation method does show that due to different values of signal/noise ration in GPS signals ?and , the new method of optimum measurements of relevant frequency components of TEC measured by phase and code methods should be developed. The optimum quantity of measurements of the above-mentioned frequency components is determined taking into account the limitation imposed on general number of necessary measurements.

Analysis of Anomalous Enhancement in TEC and Electron Density in the China Region Prior to the 17 March 2015 Geomagnetic Storm Based on Ground and Space Observations

Total Electron Content(TEC)and electron density enhancement were observed on the day before 17 March 2015 great storm in the China Region.Observations from ground-and space-based instruments are used to investigate the temporal and spatial evolution of the pre-storm enhancement.TEC enhancement was observed from 24°N to 30°N after 10:00 UT at 105°E,110°E and 115°E longitudes on March 16.The maximum magnitude of TEC enhancement was more than 10 TECU and the maximal relative TEC enhancement exceeded 30%.Compared with geomagnetic quiet days,the electron density of Equatorial Ionization Anomaly(EIA)northern peak from Swarm A/C satellites on March 16 was larger and at higher latitudes.NmF2 enhanced during 11:30—21:00 UT at Shaoyang Station and increased by 200%at~16:00 UT.However,TEC and electron density enhancement were not accompanied by a significant change of hmF2.Most research has excluded some potential mechanisms as the main driving factors for storm-time density enhancements by establishing observational constraints.In this paper,we observed pre-storm enhancement in electron density at different altitudes and Equatorial Electrojet(EEJ)strength results derived from ground magnetometers observations suggest an enhanced eastward electric field from the E region probably played a significant role in this event.

Total Electron Content Diurnal and Seasonal Variations and Response to Solar Events at Koudougou Station in Burkina Faso

In this paper, we studied the seasonal behavior of the total electron content (TEC) during a part of solar cycle 24 ascending, maximum and decreasing phases at Koudougou station (Latitude: 12°15'09"N Longitude: 2°21'45"W). Response of TEC to solar recurrent events is presented. The highest values of the TEC in 2014, 2015 and 2016 were recorded on March and October, while in 2013 they were recorded on April and November, corresponding to equinox months. This observation shows that TEC values at the equinoxes are higher than those of solstices. Moreover, the monthly TEC varies in phase with the sunspots number showing a linear dependence of the TEC on solar activity. The ionospheric electron contents are generally very low both before noon and during the night, but quite high at noon and after noon. This pattern of TEC variation is due to the fluctuation of incident solar radiation on the Earth’s equatorial ionosphere. During quiet periods, the number of free electrons generated is lower than that generated during recurrent periods, which shows a positive contribution of recurrent activity to the level of the TEC. Investigations have also highlighted a winter anomaly and equinoctial asymmetry in TEC behavior at Koudougou station.

Ionospheric total electron content disturbance associated with May 12, 2008,Wenchuan earthquake

Possible ionospheric disturbances relating to the May 12, 2008, MsS.0 Wenchuan earthquake were identified by Global Positioning System （GPS）-derived total electron content （TEC）, ion- osonde observations, the global ionospheric map （GIM）, and electron density profiles detected by the Constellation Observation System for Meteorology Ionosphere and Climate （COSMIC）. We applied a statistical test to detect anomalous TEC signals and found that a unique enhancement in TEC, recorded at 16 GPS stations, appeared on May 9, 2008. The critical fre- quency at F2 peak （foF2）, observed by the Chinese ionosondes, and maximal plasma frequency, derived from COSMIC data, revealed a characteristic similar to GPS TEC variations. The GIM showed that the anomalous variations of May 9 were located southeast of the epicenter. Using GPS data from 13 stations near the epicenter, we analyzed the TEC variations of satellite orbit traces during 04：00-11：00 UT. We found that TEC decreased to the east and increased to the southeast of the epicenter during this period. Results showed that the abnormal disturbance on May 9 was probably an ionosphenc precursor of the Wenchuan earthquake of May 12, 2008.

Monitoring the ionosphere based on the Crustal Movement Observation Network of China

The Global Navigation Satellite System （GNSS） is becoming important for monitoring the variations in the earth＇s ionosphere based on the total electron content （TEC） and iono- spheric electron density （IED）. The Crustal Movement Observation Network of China （CMONOC）, which includes GNSS stations across China's Mainland, enables the continuous monitoring of the ionosphere over China as accurately as possible. A series of approaches for GNSS-based ionospheric remote sensing and software has been proposed and devel- oped by the Institute of Geodesy and Geophysics （IGG） in Wuhan. Related achievements include the retrieval of ionospheric observables from raw GNSS data, differential code biases estimations in satellites and receivers, models of local and regional ionospheric TEC, and algorithms of ionospheric tomography. Based on these achievements, a software for processing GNSS data to determine the variations in ionospheric TEC and IED over China has been designed and developed by IGG. This software has also been installed at the CMONOC data centers belonging to the China Earthquake Administration and China Meteorological Administration. This paper briefly introduces the related research achievements and indicates potential directions of future work.

The effect of space weather on the ionosphere at the 110°meridian during CAWSES-Ⅱperiod

Space weather determines the state of the ionosphere,which is especially important to know during disturbances.To study this state,the period of March 7-17,2012,which was recommended by SCOSTEP for detailed studies and called CAWSES-II,was selected.In this period,the behavior of parameters of the solar wind(SW)and the interplanetary magnetic field(IMF)show a number of features.In this paper,we study their relationship with the total electron content(TEC)and the critical frequency(foF2)of the ionosphere at the 110°meridian,near which several ionosondes are located,in the range of 20°N-62.5°N.The correlation coefficients of TEC and foF2 with the SW and IMF parameters for the month and the selected period are calculated.The ionosphere showed the considered disturbances in different ways in different latitudinal zones:negative anomalies are observed at high latitudes,and positive ones at low latitudes.A distinctive feature is the presence of signs of a super-fountain effect.Deviations of TEC and foF2 from their medians can be significant.The IRI model reacted in the latitude range 40°N-62.5°N in the form of negative anomalies,although positive anomalies were observed in the TEC.At lower latitudes,no reaction was observed.For all factors(F10.7,Dst,Kp,IMF,Np),three zones(high-latitude,midlatitude,and low-latitude)are distinguished for different coefficients.The strongest influence of disturbances on the correlation coefficients is observed in the zone of 37.5°N 62.5°N.

Ionospheric vertical total electron content prediction model in low-latitude regions based on long short-term memory neural network

Ionosphere delay is one of the main sources of noise affecting global navigation satellite systems, operation of radio detection and ranging systems and very-long-baseline-interferometry. One of the most important and common methods to reduce this phase delay is to establish accurate nowcasting and forecasting ionospheric total electron content models. For forecasting models, compared to mid-to-high latitudes, at low latitudes, an active ionosphere leads to extreme differences between long-term prediction models and the actual state of the ionosphere. To solve the problem of low accuracy for long-term prediction models at low latitudes, this article provides a low-latitude, long-term ionospheric prediction model based on a multi-input-multi-output, long-short-term memory neural network. To verify the feasibility of the model, we first made predictions of the vertical total electron content data 24 and 48 hours in advance for each day of July 2020 and then compared both the predictions corresponding to a given day, for all days. Furthermore, in the model modification part, we selected historical data from June 2020 for the validation set, determined a large offset from the results that were predicted to be active, and used the ratio of the mean absolute error of the detected results to that of the predicted results as a correction coefficient to modify our multi-input-multi-output long short-term memory model. The average root mean square error of the 24-hour-advance predictions of our modified model was 4.4 TECU, which was lower and better than5.1 TECU of the multi-input-multi-output, long short-term memory model and 5.9 TECU of the IRI-2016 model.

Investigation of ionospheric TEC changes related to the 2008 Wenchuan earthquake based on statistic analysis and signal detection

Ionospheric TEC （total electron content） time series are derived from GPS measurements at 13 stations around the epicenter of the 2008 Wenchuan earthquake. Defining anomaly bounds for a sliding window by quartile and 2-standard deviation of TEC values, this paper analyzed the characteristics of ionospheric changes before and after the destructive event. The Neyman-Pearson signal detection method is employed to compute the probabilities of TEC abnormalities. Result shows that one week before the Wenchuan earthquake, ionospheric TEC over the epicenter and its vicinities displays obvious abnormal disturbances, most of which are positive anomalies. The largest TEC abnormal changes appeared on May 9, three days prior to the seismic event. Signal detection shows that the largest possibility ofTEC abnormity on May 9 is 50.74%, indicating that ionospheric abnormities three days before the main shock are likely related to the preparation process of the Ms8.0 Wenchuan earthquake.

Preliminary observation results of the Coherent Beacon Systemonboard the China Seismo-Electromagnetic Satellite-1

This paper reports, for the first time, observation results of the Coherent Beacon System(CBS) onboard the China SeismoElectromagnetic Satellite-1(CSES-1). We describe the CBS, and the Computerized Ionospheric Tomography(CIT) algorithm program is validated by numerical experiment. Two examples are shown, for daytime and nighttime respectively. The Equatorial Ionization Anomaly(EIA) can be seen, and the northern crest core is located at ～20°N in the reconstruction image at 07:28 UTC on 20 July 2018(daytime).Disturbances are shown in the reconstruction image at 18:40 UTC on 13 July 2018(nighttime). We find that beacon measurements are more consistent with ionosonde measurements than model results, by comparing Nm F2 at three sites at Lanzhou, Chongqing, and Kunming; consistency with ionosonde measurements validates beacon measurements. Finally, we have studied Vertical Total Electron Content(VTEC) variations from ground to ～500 km(the height of CSES-1 orbit) and ratios of VTEC between beacon measurements and CODE(Center for Orbit Determination in Europe) data. VTEC variation from ground to ～500 km has a range of 7.2–16.5 TECU for the daytime case and a range of 1.1–1.7 TECU for the nighttime case. The Beacon/CODE ratio of VTEC varies with latitude and time. The mean Beacon/CODE ratio is 0.69 for the daytime case and 0.26 for the nighttime case. The fact that the nighttime case yields lower ratios indicates the higher altitude of the ionosphere during nighttime when the ionosphere is assumed to be a thin layer.

Ionospheric Responses to a Total Solar Eclipse Deduced by the GPS Beacon Observations

The total electron content (TEC) data during the total eclipse of March 9, 1997 were collected, which were observed by means of nine GPS receivers located at the eastern Asia. The responses of total TEC to the eclipse were analyzed. The results show that: 1) the eclipse led to apparent decrement in TEC that lasted for six to eight hours; 2) the maximum decrement occurred after the middle of the eclipse with time delays varying from twenty minutes to about three hours; 3) the maximum absolute deviations of TEC on the eclipse day do not show a simple and consistent relationship to the maximum solar obscuration.

GPS-TEC Variation during Low to High Solar Activity Period (2010-2014) under the Northern Crest of Indian Equatorial Ionization Anomaly Region

The measurements of ionospheric TEC (total electron content) are conducted at a low latitude Indian station Surat (21.16°N, 72.78°E Geog.), which lies under the northern crest of the equatorial anomaly in Indian region. The data obtained are for a period of five years from low to high solar activity (2010- 2014) using GPS (Global Positioning System) receiver. In this study, we report the diurnal and seasonal variation of GPS-TEC, dependence of GPS-TEC with solar activity, geomagnetic condition and EEJ strength. From the seasonal analysis, it is found that greater values of the GPS-TEC are observed during equinox season followed by winter and summer. The appearance (in the year 2011 and 2014) and disappearance (in the year 2010 and 2012) of “winter anomaly” have been observed at the station. From the correlation of GPS-TEC with different solar indices, i.e. solar EUV flux, F10.7 cm solar radio flux and Zurich sunspot number (SSN), it is concluded that the solar index EUV flux is a better controller of GPS-TEC, compared to F10.7 cm and SSN. Further, it is observed that there is no effect of rising solar activity on correlation. Moreover, the percentage variability of GPS-TEC and the standard deviation of GPS-TEC obtained for quiet and disturbed days show that dependence of GPS-TEC on geomagnetic condition is seasonal. Also, there is a positive correlation observed between GPS-TEC and EEJ strength.

Testing of new ionospheric models along the meridian 110°E over the Northern Hemisphere

Despite the continuous improvement of the widely used empirical model international reference ionosphere(IRI),the recently appeared new models must be tested worldwide.Testing along the meridians has the advantage of dealing with the latitudinal dependent parameters.This paper uses new models of parameters foF2(critical frequency),TEC(total electron content),andτ(equivalent slab thickness of the ionosphere),which are of great importance for evaluating the effects of space weather.IRI-Plas,NNT2F2,and NTSM models were tested using data from 6 ionosondes located along the meridian 110°E in March 2012.It is shown that the IRI-Plas model provides the closest values to experiment with respect toτ,while the NTSM model provides a rather limited reflection of the latitude dependence.Analyses of foF2(NNT2F2)have shown that,the NNT2F2 model provides good conformity with experimental values in this area,but it is very dependent on the TEC processing method.The latitudinal dependences of foF2 obtained with TEC and polynomial dependenceτ(Appr)showed the presence of positive deviations from medians not only during disturbances but also quiet periods,longitudinally at the meridian.

Application of ionospheric tomography inversion to GPS data to study ionospheric electron-density distribution over China

Temporal variations of ionospheric electron-density （IED） distributions over China are inversed by applying the computerized ionospheric tomography （CIT） technique to dual-frequency GPS data of the Crustal Movement Observation Network of China （CMONOC） in 2003. Characteristics of the diurnal variations of IED, especially the development and disappearance of the equatorial anomaly structure and the variations of the ionospheric vertical structure, are investigated. The result shows that it is feasible to sound and investigate the temporal-spatial variations of lED by using CIT technique and the high-accuracy GPS data, but the accuracy and reliability are limited by insufficiency of GPS data, reconstruction methods, and CIT models.

Temporal variations of the ionospheric disturbances due to the seasonal variability over Turkey using IONOLAB-FFT algorithm

The ionosphere is exposed to forcing from below due to gravitational, geomagnetic and seismic activities,and above due to solar wind. These forces cause some medium and large scale irregularities and disturbances into the upper atmosphere and ionosphere. Some of these disturbances occur in the form of wave-like oscillations in the ionosphere which propagate at a certain frequency, duration and velocity.These disturbances can be detected by monitoring the ionosphere using Total Electron Content obtained from Global Positioning System(GPS-TEC). In this study, the temporal analysis of these disturbances due to the seasonal variability is carried out for a mid-latitude GPS network using Ionosphere Research Laboratory TEC(IONOLAB-TEC) over Turkey. The IONOLAB Fast Fourier Transform(FFT) algorithm is applied to GPS-TEC obtained from nine Turkish National Permanent GPS Network(TNPGN) active stations in Turkey for December(winter solstice), March(spring equinox), June(summer solstice),September(autumn equinox) months in 2010(low solar activity), 2011 and 2012(moderate solar activity). It is observed that the highest frequency accumulates around 0.2 m Hz at morning and afternoon hours while it accumulates around 0.1 m Hz at noon and night hours. The frequency increases from solar quiet year 2010 to solar quiet active year 2012. In all years, it is observed that most frequencies are grouped at higher frequencies for the equinox months. The lower frequencies are observed for the solstice months for all time intervals. The largest numbers of the durations accumulate around 100 min(1.66 h) for morning hours, 200 min(3.33 h) for noon hours, 200 min(3.33 h) for afternoon hours and150 min(2.5 h) for night hours. After sunrise and sunset, the durations of the disturbances are shorter than those observed for noon and afternoon times. The duration shortens from solar quiet year 2010 to solar quiet active year 2012. The durations for equinox months are shorter than those for the solstice months.

Assessment of the predictive capabilities of NIGTEC model over Nigeria during geomagnetic storms

The Nigerian Total Electron Content(NIGTEC)is a regional neural netwo rk-based model developed by the Nigerian Centre for Atmospheric Research to predict the Total Electron Content(TEC)at any location over Nigeria.The addition of the disturbance storm time(Dst)index as one of NIGTEC’s input layer neurons raises a question of its accuracy during geomagnetic storms.In this paper,the capability of NIGTEC in predicting the variability of TEC during geomagnetic storms has been assessed.TEC data predicted by NIGTEC is compared with those derived from Global Navigation Satellite System(GNSS)over Lagos(6.5°N,3.4°E)and Toro(10.1°N,9.120 E)during the intense storms in March 2012 and 2013.The model’s predictive capability is evaluated in terms of Root Mean Square Error(RMSE).NIGTEC reproduced a fairly good storm time morphology in VTEC driven by the prompt penetration electric field and the increase in thermospheric O/N2.Nevertheless,it failed to predict the increase in TEC after the intense sudden impulse of 60 nT on 8 March 2012.And it could not capture the changes in VTEC driven by the storm time equatorward neutral wind especially during 18:00-24:00 UT.Consequently,the RMSEs were higher during this time window,and the highest RMSE value was obtained during the most intense storm in March 2012.

Electron Bulk Surface Density Effect on Critical Frequency in the F2-Layer

Ionosphere layer is the atmosphere region which reflects radio waves for telecommunication. The density in particles in this layer influences the quality of communication. This study deals with the effects of Total Electron Contents (TEC) on the critical frequency of radio waves in the F2-layer. Total Electron Contents parameter symbolizes electron bulk surface density in ionosphere layer. Above critical frequency value in F2 layer (foF2), radio waves pass through ionosphere. The knowledge of this value enables to calibrate transmission frequencies. In this study, we consider TEC effects on foF2 under quiet time conditions during the maximum and the minimum of solar cycle 22, at Ouagadougou station, in West Africa. The study also considers the effects of seasons and the hourly variability of TEC and foF2. This work shows winter anomaly on foF2 and TEC on minimum and maximum of solar cycle phase respectively. Running International Reference Ionosphere (IRI) model enables to carry out the effects of TEC on foF2 by use of their monthly average values. This leads to a new approach to calibrate radio transmitters.

基于注意力机制LSTM的电离层TEC预测

电离层总电子含量(Total Electron Content,TEC)的监测与预报是空间环境研究的重要内容,对卫星通讯和导航定位等有重要意义.TEC值影响因素较多,很难确定精确物理模型来对其进行预测.本文设计了基于注意力机制的LSTM模型(Att-LSTM),采用过去24小时TEC观测数据对未来TEC进行预测.选择北半球东经100°上,每2.5°纬度选择一个位置,共计36个位置来验证本文提出模型的性能,并与主流的深度学习模型如DNN、RNN、LSTM进行对比实验.取得了如下成果:(1)在选定的36个地区未来2小时单点预测上,基于本文的Att-LSTM模型的TEC预测性能明显优于其他对比模型;(2)讨论了纬度对Att-LSTM预测未来2小时TEC值时性能的影响,发现在北纬0°到60°之间,Att-LSTM预测性能随着纬度的升高而略有降低,在北纬62.5°~87.5°之间,模型预测性能出现扰动,预测效果略差;(3)讨论了磁暴期和磁静期模型的预测性能,发现无论是磁暴期还是磁静期,本文模型预测性能均较好;(4)还讨论了对未来多时点预测效果,实验结果表明,本文所提出的模型对未来2、4个小时的预测拟合度R-Square均超过0.95,预测结果比较可靠,对未来6、8、10个小时预测拟合度最高为0.7934,预测拟合度R-Square下降迅速,预测结果不可靠.