顾及电离层变化的层析反演新算法

区别于以往GPS电离层层析研究主要关注迭代模型的思路,本文从两方面入手提高GPS电离层层析迭代算法的反演精度:一方面,顾及传统电离层层析迭代模型仅与对电子密度误差起放大作用的GPS射线截距权重相关的不足,提出考虑层析像素格网中的电子密度对GPS TEC的贡献建立新的迭代模型,在不同电子密度像素格网内重新分配GPS TEC实测值与其反演值之间的差距;另一方面,顾及电离层层析迭代算法中松弛因子对反演结果的影响,提出考虑电子密度变化构造新的松弛因子,抑制传播噪声对电子密度反演精度的影响.实验结果显示,相对于传统代数重构算法(ART),新方法反演的电离层电子密度剖面更接近于电离层测高仪观测的电子密度剖面,提高了电子密度反演精度.     

Relationships between GPS-signal propagation errors and EISCAT observations

When travelling through the ionosphere the signals of space-based radio navigation systems such as the Global Positioning System (GPS) are subject to modifications in amplitude, phase and polarization. In particular, phase changes due to refraction lead to propagation errors of up to 50 m for single-frequency GPS users. If both the LI and the L2 frequencies transmitted by the GPS satellites are measured, first-order range error contributions of the ionosphere can be determined and removed by difference methods. The ionospheric contribution is proportional to the total electron content (TEC) along the ray path between satellite and receiver. Using about ten European GPS receiving stations of the International GPS Service for Geodynamics (IGS), the TEC over Europe is estimated within the geographic ranges –20° 40°E and 32.5° ø 70°N in longitude and latitude, respectively. The derived TEC maps over Europe contribute to the study of horizontal coupling and transport processes during significant ionospheric events. Due to their comprehensive information about the high-latitude ionosphere, EISCAT observations may help to study the influence of ionospheric phenomena upon propagation errors in GPS navigation systems. Since there are still some accuracy limiting problems to be solved in TEC determination using GPS, data comparison of TEC with vertical electron density profiles derived from EISCAT observations is valuable to enhance the accuracy of propagation-error estimations. This is evident both for absolute TEC calibration as well as for the conversion of ray-path-related observations to vertical TEC. The combination of EISCAT data and GPS-derived TEC data enables a better understanding of large-scale ionospheric processes.     

Features of High-Latitude Ionospheric Irregularities Development as Revealed by Ground-Based GPS Observations,Satellite-Borne GPS Observations and Satellite In Situ Measurements over the Territory of Russia during the Geomagnetic Storm on March 17–18, 2015

The dynamic picture of the response of the high- and mid-latitude ionosphere to the strong geomagnetic disturbances on March 17–18, 2015, has been studied with ground-based and satellite observations, mainly, by transionospheric measurements of delays of GPS (Global Positioning System) signals. The advantages of the joint use of ground-based GPS measurements and GPS measurements on board of the Swarm Low-Earth-Orbit satellite mission for monitoring of the appearance of ionospheric irregularities over the territory of Russia are shown for the first time. The results of analysis of ground-based and space-borne GPS observations, as well as satellite, in situ measurements, revealed large-scale ionospheric plasma irregularities observed over the territory of Russia in the latitude range of 50°–85° N during the main phase of the geomagnetic storm. The most intense ionospheric irregularities were detected in the auroral zone and in the region of the main ionospheric trough (MIT). It has been found that sharp changes in the phase of the carrier frequency of the navigation signal from all tracked satellites were recorded at all GPS stations located to the North from 55° MLAT. The development of a deep MIT was related to dynamic processes in the subauroral ionosphere, in particular, with electric fields of the intense subauroral polarization stream. Analysis of the electron and ion density values obtained by instruments on board of the Swarm and DMSP satellites showed that the zone of highly structured auroral ionosphere extended at least to heights of 850–900 km.     

Automated daily process for global ionospheric total electron content maps and satellite ocean altimeter ionospheric calibration based on Global Positioning System data

The accuracy of single-frequency ocean altimeters benefits from calibration of the total electron content (TEC) of the ionosphere below the satellite. Data from a global network of Global Positioning System (GPS) receivers provides timely, continuous, and globally well-distributed measurements of ionospheric electron content. For several months we have been running a daily automatic Global Ionospheric Map process which inputs global GPS data and climatological ionosphere data into a Kalman filter, and produces global ionospheric TEC maps and ocean altimeter calibration data within 24 h of the end-of-day. Other groups have successfully applied this output to altimeter data from the GFO satellite and in orbit determination for the TOPEX/Poseidon satellite. Daily comparison of the global TEC maps with independent TEC data from the TOPEX altimeter is performed as a check on the calibration whenever the TOPEX data are available. Comparisons of the global TEC maps against TOPEX data will be discussed. Accuracy is best at mid-to-high absolute latitudes (∣latitude∣>30°) due to the better geographic distribution of GPS receivers and the relative simplicity of the ionosphere. Our highly data-driven technique is relatively less accurate at low latitudes and especially during ionospheric storm periods, due to the relative scarcity of GPS receivers and the structure and volatility of the ionosphere. However, it is still significantly more accurate than climatological models.     

Reconstructing Regional Ionospheric Electron Density: A Combined Spherical Slepian Function and Empirical Orthogonal Function Approach

The computerized ionospheric tomography is a method for imaging the Earth’s ionosphere using a sounding technique and computing the slant total electron content (STEC) values from data of the global positioning system (GPS). The most common approach for ionospheric tomography is the voxel-based model, in which (1) the ionosphere is divided into voxels, (2) the STEC is then measured along (many) satellite signal paths, and finally (3) an inversion procedure is applied to reconstruct the electron density distribution of the ionosphere. In this study, a computationally efficient approach is introduced, which improves the inversion procedure of step 3. Our proposed method combines the empirical orthogonal function and the spherical Slepian base functions to describe the vertical and horizontal distribution of electron density, respectively. Thus, it can be applied on regional and global case studies. Numerical application is demonstrated using the ground-based GPS data over South America. Our results are validated against ionospheric tomography obtained from the constellation observing system for meteorology, ionosphere, and climate (COSMIC) observations and the global ionosphere map estimated by international centers, as well as by comparison with STEC derived from independent GPS stations. Using the proposed approach, we find that while using 30 GPS measurements in South America, one can achieve comparable accuracy with those from COSMIC data within the reported accuracy (1 × 10¹¹ el/cm³) of the product. Comparisons with real observations of two GPS stations indicate an absolute difference is less than 2 TECU (where 1 total electron content unit, TECU, is 10¹⁶ electrons/m²).     

东亚赤道异常区电离层CT诊断──实验及初步结果

国际上第一个低纬电离层层析（ＣＴ）探测台链于１９９３年１１月建成，并开始数据采集．该ＣＴ台链沿１２０°Ｅ子午圈由６个卫星信标差分多普勒接收站组成，北起我国上海，南至菲律宾的马尼拉，纬度覆盖范围约２０°．该台链专为电高层赤道异常区电子密度大尺度结构ＣＴ成像而设计，其目的是监测研究赤道异常形态与动力学、电离层等离子体泡、行优以及暴时磁层－电离层－热层耦合过程等重要的赤道与低纬区电离层现象．本文介绍该低纬电离层ＣＴ实验的有关技术问题，包括接收台站布设、实验设备、数据采集软件和数据预处理方法．文中还给出利用ＣＴ技术，由实测斜电子含量数据反演电离层电子密度二维分布图像的几个实例．结果表明，利用低纬电离层ＣＴ台链可以有效地监测电离层赤道异常及其它低纬电高层电子密度大尺度结构的时空变化．     

Anomalous modification of the ionospheric total electron content prior to the 26 September 2005 Peru earthquake

This paper investigates the features of pre-earthquake ionospheric anomalies in the total electron content (TEC) data obtained on the basis of regular GPS observations from the International GNSS Service (IGS) network. For the analysis of the ionospheric effects of the 26 September 2005 Peru earthquake, Global Ionospheric Maps (GIMs) of TEC were used. The possible influence of the earthquake preparation processes on the main low-latitude ionosphere peculiarity—the equatorial anomaly—is discussed. Analysis of the TEC maps has shown that modification of the equatorial anomaly occurred a few days before the earthquake. In previous days, during the evening and night hours (local time—LT), a specific transformation of the TEC distribution had taken place. This modification took the shape of a double-crest structure with a trough near the epicenter, though usually in this time the restored normal latitudinal distribution with a maximum near the magnetic equator is observed. Additional measurements (CHAMP satellite) have also confirmed the presence of this structure. To compare the vertical TEC measurements obtained with GPS satellite signals (GPS TEC), the International Reference Ionosphere, IRI-2001, was used for calculating the IRI TEC.     

Test of GPS for permanent ionospheric TEC monitoring at high latitudes

The Global Positioning System (GPS) observables are affected by the ionosphere. The dispersive nature of this effect and the use of two frequencies in the GPS observations make possible to measure the ionospheric total electron content (TEC) from dual frequency GPS data. In this work we test the concept of permanent monitoring of TEC using a network of GPS receivers at high latitudes. We have used GPS data from five permanent receivers in Scandinavia, from 1–30 January 1994, with geographic latitudes ranging from 57.4^°N to 78.9^°N. The results show the capability of the method to monitor the evolution of TEC as a function of time and geographical location. We have detected night-time enhancements almost every night for some of the stations, and we have also been able to produce maps of the instantaneous TEC as a function of both latitude and longitude around the GPS network. We also present some of the current limitations in the use of GPS for estimating TEC at high latitudes such as the difficulties in solving for cycle-slips, and the necessity of reliable values for the receiver and satellite differential instrumental biases.     

Dependence of the ionospheric response on the solar flare parameters based on the theoretical modeling and GPS data

The measurements of an increase in the total electron content (TEC) of the ionosphere during solar flares, obtained based on the GPS data, indicated that up to 30% of TEC increments corresponded to the ionospheric regions above 300 km altitude in some cases, and TEC increased mainly below altitudes of 300 km in other cases. The theoretical model of the ionosphere and plasmasphere was used to study the obtained effects. The altitude-time variations in the charged particle density in the ionospheric region from 100 to 1000 km were used depending on the solar flare spectrum. An analysis of the modeling results indicated that an intensification of the flare UV emission in the 55–65 and 85–95 nm spectral ranges results in a pronounced increase in the electron density in the topside ionosphere (above 300 km). The experimental dependences of the ionospheric TEC response amplitude on the localization and peak power of flares on the Sun in the X-ray range, obtained based on the GPS data, are also presented in the work.     

Effects of the August 11, 1999 total solar eclipse as deduced from total electron content measurements at the GPS network

We present the results derived from measuring fundamental parameters of the ionospheric response to the August 11, 1999 total solar eclipse. Our study is based on using the data from about 100 GPS stations located in the neighborhood of the eclipse totality phase in Europe. The eclipse period was characterized by a low level of geomagnetic disturbance (D_st-variation from −10 to −20 nT), which alleviated significantly the problem of detecting the ionospheric response to the eclipse. Our analysis revealed a well-defined effect of a decrease (depression) of the total electron content (TEC) for all GPS stations. The delay between minimum TEC values with respect to the totality phase near the eclipse path increased gradually from 4 min in Greenwich longitude (10:40 UT, LT) to 8 min at the longitude 16° (12:09 LT). The depth and duration of the TEC depression were found to be 0.2–0.3 TECU and 60 min, respectively. The results obtained in this study are in good agreement with earlier measurements and theoretical estimates.     

The structure of the mid- and high-latitude ionosphere during the November 2004 storm event obtained from GPS observations

GPS data from the International GNSS Service (IGS) network were used to study the development of the severe geomagnetic storm of November 7–12, 2004, in the total electron content (TEC) on a global scale. The TEC maps were produced for analyzing the storm. For producing the maps over European and North American sectors, GPS measurements from more than 100 stations were used. The dense network of GPS stations provided TEC measurements with a high temporal and spatial resolution. To present the temporal and spatial variation of TEC during the storm, differential TEC maps relative to a quiet day (November 6, 2004) were created. The features of geomagnetic storm attributed to the complex development of ionospheric storm depend on latitude, longitude and local time. The positive, as well as negative effects were detected in TEC variations as a consequence of the evolution of the geomagnetic storm. The maximal effect was registered in the subauroral/auroral ionosphere during substorm activity in the evening and night period. The latitudinal profiles obtained from TEC maps for Europe gave rise to the storm-time dynamic of the ionospheric trough, which was detected on November 7 and 9 at latitudes below 50°N. In the report, features of the response of TEC to the storm for European and North American sectors are analyzed.     

Using tomography of GPS TEC to routinely determine ionospheric average electron density profiles

This paper introduces a technique that calculates average electron density (N_e) profiles over a wide geographic area of coverage, using tomographic ionospheric N_e profiles. These N_e profiles, which can provide information of the N_e distribution up to global positioning system (GPS) orbiting altitude (with the coordination of space-based GPS tomographic profiles), can be incorporated into the next generation of the international reference ionosphere (IRI) model. An additional advantage of tomography is that it enables accurate modeling of the topside ionosphere. By applying the tomographic reconstruction approach to ground-based GPS slant total electron content (STEC), we calculate 3-h average N_e profiles over a wide region. Since it uses real measurement data, tomographic average N_e profiles describe the ionosphere during quiet and disturbed periods. The computed average N_e profiles are compared with IRI model profiles and average N_e profiles obtained from ground-based ionosondes.     

Modeling the ionospheric electron content for the correction of altimetric measurements

The TOPEX-POSEIDON oceanographic satellite (due to be launched in 1992) will proceed to high accuracy altimetric measurements of the sea surface. Since the altimeter signals will propagate through the ionosphere, they will be retarded with respect to their free-space propagation delay. As a result, the measured altitude will exhibit an apparent lengthening which must be considered. In order to correct this effect, the ionosphere total electron content (TEC) beneath the satellite has to be known. This paper addresses the problem of determining the TEC form Doppler measurements performed on telemetric signals propagating between the satellite and the ground stations of the DORIS positioning system. This is an inverse problem which, in general, does not admit a single-valued solution. Physical observations of the ionophere lead us to assume that the TEC along each half-revolution is regular such that we can select an appropriate solution. This solution is approximated by cubic splines. The computed results are compared to simulation results, based on the Bent ionospheric model and seem to be particularly promising.     

基于北斗、GLONASS和GPS系统的中低纬电离层特性联合探测

基于GNSS(Global Navigation Satellite Systems)的发展,我们利用具有北斗、GLONASS和GPS三系统信号接收功能的接收机观测的数据,结合电离层总电子含量(Total Electron Content, TEC)的反演算法,提取出GNSS三系统观测的电离层TEC;同时,将GNSS三系统获取的TEC应用到电离层TEC地图、行进式扰动、不规则体结构和电离层的太阳耀斑响应等方面的研究中,这也是首次使用三种GNSS系统数据对电离层进行联合探测研究.研究结果表明,增加了北斗系统的GNSS三系统在研究中国地区电离层TEC地图、周日变化、逐日变化,行进式扰动以及电离层的实时监测等方面较单系统的GPS具有明显的优势.     

Prompt derivation of TEC from GEONET data for space weather monitoring in Japan

Continuous monitoring of ionospheric conditions is essential to monitoring and forecasting space weather. The worldwide use of global navigation satellite systems like the Gobal Positioning System (GPS) makes it possible to continuously monitor the total electron content (TEC) of the ionosphere and plasmasphere up to a height of about 20,000 km. We have developed a system for deriving the TEC from GEONET data rapidly and we use the TEC distribution over Japan in the daily operations of the Space Weather Forecast Center at NICT (RWC Tokyo of ISES). Using instrumental biases from a few days before enables us to drastically shorten the processing time for deriving TEC. The latest TEC values (with a delay of about 1 h) are obtained every 3 h, and most of the values are within 2 TEC units of the actual TEC. We have found our system for deriving TEC rapidly to be useful for continuously monitoring the progress of ionospheric storms under any ionospheric conditions, even those under which the usual ionosonde observations are unable to obtain F-region profiles.     

Ionospheric disturbances in the east-Asian region during the geomagnetic period in November 2004

Results of the studies of ionospheric parameter variations during the intense geomagnetic storm on November 7–11, 2004, in the 20°–80° N, 60°–180° E sector are presented. The data of ionospheric stations and the results of total electron content (TEC) measurements at the network of the GPS ground-based receivers and of the GPS receiver onboard the CHAMP satellite were used. Periods of total absorption and blanketing sporadic E layers were observed at high latitudes, whereas durable negative disturbances typical of geomagnetic storms of high intensity were detected at midlatitudes. In the afternoon hours of local time on November 8, 2004, a large-scale ionospheric disturbance of a frontal type was detected on the basis of foF2 and TEC measurements. The disturbance propagated southwestward at a mean velocity of about 200 m/s. The comparison of the relative amplitude of this large-scale disturbance according to the total electron content (～70%) and foF2 (～80%) measurements made it possible to assume a large vertical scale of the disturbance.     

Total electron content of the ionosphere during thegeomagnetic storm on 10 January 1997

Measurements at GPS ground stations of the International GPS Service (IGS) havebeen used to derive the total electron content (TEC) of the ionosphere over Europe and overthree North American stations for the 6–11 January 1997 storm event. The derived TEC dataindicate large deviations from the average behaviour especially at high latitudes on thenight-side/early morning longitude sector.The high-latitude perturbation causes a well-pronounced positive phase on the day-sidesector over Europe.Both meridional winds as well as transient electric fields are assumed to contribute to thesignature of the ionospheric perturbation propagating from high to low latitudes. Theobservations indicate a subsequent enhanced plasma loss which is probably due to theequatorward expansion of storm induced composition changes.     

Effects of ionospheric horizontal gradients on differential GPS

This paper outlines the effect of horizontal ionospheric gradients on transionospheric path propagation such as for the case of GPS signals. The total electron content (TEC) is a function of time of day, and is much influenced by solar activity and also the receiving station location. To make the model applicable for long baselines, for which the ionosphere is not generally well correlated between receiving stations, the ionospheric gradients should be taken into account. In this work the signal path is determined using a modified ray-tracing technique together with a homing-in method. Results show that horizontal gradients can have a significant effect on GPS positioning for both single station positioning and differential GPS. For differential GPS, the ionospheric delay can, however, be either increased or decreased compared with the case of no gradient, depending on the gradient direction.     

Solar forcing on antarctic terrestrial climate: A study by means of GPS observations

With a view to difficulties with explaining the physical mechanism of solar forcing on the Earth’s climate, we applied a new approach of determining and quantifying an influence of solar-related events on water vapor variability by correlating the total electron content (TEC) and precipitable water vapor (PWV), both derived from ground-based GPS observations. In this study, ionospheric TEC and atmospheric PWV values are employed as solar activity and terrestrial climate parameters, respectively. Three-year GPS data at five stations in Antarctica are analyzed on a daily mean basis. Results show significant correlation between TEC and PWV differences during storms-affected days. The high correlation between the daily mean values of TEC and PWV, both of which follow the seasonal signals and subsisting downward trend, suggests an influence of solar activity on climate variability in Antarctica. These quantities are determined by changes of the upper-atmosphere level, which varies in conformity with the zenith angle of the Sun.     

基于陆态网络GPS数据的电离层空间天气监测与研究

中国大陆构造环境监测网络(简称陆态网络)是以全球卫星导航定位系统(GNSS)为主,辅以多种空间观测技术,实时动态监测大陆构造环境变化,探求其对资源、环境和灾害的影响的地球科学综合观测网络.基于陆态网络约200个基准站的GPS观测数据,本文探讨了其在电离层空间天气监测与研究方面的应用.包括磁暴期间电离层暴扰动形态,大尺度电离层行进式扰动,太阳耀斑引起的电离层骚扰和低纬电离层不规则体结构等.研究结果表明:陆态网络布局合理,观测数据质量良好,完全可用于中国及周边地区电离层空间天气监测与研究,为进一步开展我国电离层空间天气预警和预报奠定了观测基础.