Work

New formulation for the topside ionosphere and plasmasphere based on NeQuick

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: The total electron content (TEC) affecting signal propagation of Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) is strongly influenced by the topside ionosphere and plasmasphere. This study introduces a new approach to representing the two regions. The developed topside ionosphere and plasmasphere model has been evaluated using TEC data from the COSMIC/FORMOSAT-3 mission, the Swarm-A satellite, and Global Ionospheric Maps (GIMs), covering the period from 2008 to 2024. Van Allen Probes data have also been used as a benchmark for the plasmasphere. All results have been obtained on the basis of a modified version of the NeQuick 2 model, named IonoMAP (Ionospheric Mapping). Although the new formulation for the topside ionosphere and plasmasphere still slightly underestimates TEC, it reduces biases to approximately 1–3 TECU and improves accuracy by 28–40% compared to the NeQuick 2 model formulation. These results suggest that the proposed model is a viable solution to improve current modeling of the topside ionosphere and plasmasphere.

Source: Journal of Space Weather and Space Climate

DOI: 10.1051/swsc/2025043

Authors: Fabricio dos Santos Prol, Alessio Pignalberi, Artem Smirnov

Institutions: Finnish Geospatial Research Institute, University of Vaasa, Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia, GFZ Helmholtz Centre for Geosciences, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München

Language: English

Topic: Ionosphere and magnetosphere dynamics

Subfield: Astronomy and Astrophysics

Field: Physics and Astronomy

Domain: Physical Sciences

Open Access status: gold

Estimated APC paid: $1,413

Funder: Academy of Finland