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22 pages, 1252 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Climatology Characteristics of Ionospheric Irregularities Described with GNSS ROTI

by Kacper Kotulak, Irina Zakharenkova, Andrzej Krankowski, Iurii Cherniak, Ningbo Wang and Adam Fron

Remote Sens. 2020, 12(16), 2634; https://doi.org/10.3390/rs12162634 - 14 Aug 2020

Cited by 18 | Viewed by 3466

Abstract

At equatorial and high latitudes, the intense ionospheric irregularities and plasma density gradients can seriously affect the performances of radio communication and satellite-based navigation systems; that represents a challenging topic for the scientific and engineering communities and operational use of communication and navigation [...] Read more.

At equatorial and high latitudes, the intense ionospheric irregularities and plasma density gradients can seriously affect the performances of radio communication and satellite-based navigation systems; that represents a challenging topic for the scientific and engineering communities and operational use of communication and navigation services. The GNSS-based ROTI (rate of TEC index) is one of the most widely used indices to monitor the occurrence and intensity of ionospheric irregularities. In this paper, we examined the long-term performance of the ROTI in terms of finding the climatological characteristics of TEC fluctuations. We considered the different scale temporal signatures and checked the general sensitivity to the solar and geomagnetic activity. We retrieved and analyzed long-term time-series of ROTI values for two chains of GNSS stations located in European and North-American regions. This analysis covers three full years of the 24th solar cycle, which represent different levels of solar activity and include periods of intense geomagnetic storms. The ionospheric irregularities’ geographical distribution, as derived from ROTI, shows a reasonable consistency to be found within the poleward/equatorward boundaries of the auroral oval specified by empirical models. During magnetic midnight and quiet-time conditions, the equatorward boundary of the ROTI-derived ionospheric irregularity zone was observed at 65–70

^{°}

of north magnetic latitude, while for local noon conditions this boundary was more poleward at 75–85 magnetic latitude. The ionospheric irregularities of low-to-moderate intensity were found to occur within the auroral oval at all levels of geomagnetic activity and seasons. At moderate and high levels of solar activity, the intensities of ionospheric irregularities are larger during local winter conditions than for the local summer and polar day conditions. We found that ROTI displays a selective latitudinal sensitivity to the auroral electrojet activity—the strongest dependence (correlation R > 0.6–0.8) was observed within a narrow latitudinal range of 55–70

^{°}

N magnetic latitude, which corresponded to a band of the largest ROTI values within the auroral oval zone expanded equatorward during geomagnetic disturbances. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Remote Sensing of Ionosphere Observation and Investigation)

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17 pages, 3602 KiB

Open AccessArticle

An SBAS Integrity Model to Overbound Residuals of Higher-Order Ionospheric Effects in the Ionosphere-Free Linear Combination

by Stefan Schlüter and Mohammed Mainul Hoque

Remote Sens. 2020, 12(15), 2467; https://doi.org/10.3390/rs12152467 - 31 Jul 2020

Cited by 5 | Viewed by 3018

Abstract

The next generation of satellite-based augmentation systems (SBAS) will support aviation receivers that take advantage of the ionosphere-free dual-frequency combination. By combining signals of the L1 and L5 bands, about 99% of the ionospheric refraction effects on the GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite Systems) [...] Read more.

The next generation of satellite-based augmentation systems (SBAS) will support aviation receivers that take advantage of the ionosphere-free dual-frequency combination. By combining signals of the L1 and L5 bands, about 99% of the ionospheric refraction effects on the GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite Systems) signals can be removed in the user receivers without additional SBAS corrections. Nevertheless, even if most of the negative impacts on GNSS signals are removed by the ionospheric-free combination, some residuals remain and have to be taken into account by overbounding models in the integrity computation conducted by safety-of-live (SoL) receivers in airplanes. Such models have to overbound residuals as well, which result from the most rare extreme ionospheric events, e.g., such as the famous “Halloween Storm”, and should thus include the tails of the error distribution. Their application shall lead to safe error bounds on the user position and allow the computation of protection levels for the horizontal and vertical position errors. Here, we propose and justify such an overbounding model for residual ionospheric delays that remain after the application of the ionospheric-free linear combination. The model takes into account second- and third-order ionospheric refraction effects, excess path due to ray bending, and increased ionospheric total electron content (TEC) along the signal path due to ray bending. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Remote Sensing of Ionosphere Observation and Investigation)

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20 pages, 5854 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Ionospheric S4 Scintillations from GNSS Radio Occultation (RO) at Slant Path

by Dong L. Wu

Remote Sens. 2020, 12(15), 2373; https://doi.org/10.3390/rs12152373 - 23 Jul 2020

Cited by 14 | Viewed by 7777

Abstract

Ionospheric scintillation can significantly degrade the performance and the usability of space-based communication and navigation signals. Characterization and prediction of ionospheric scintillation can be made from the Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) radio occultation (RO) technique using the measurement from a deep slant [...] Read more.

Ionospheric scintillation can significantly degrade the performance and the usability of space-based communication and navigation signals. Characterization and prediction of ionospheric scintillation can be made from the Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) radio occultation (RO) technique using the measurement from a deep slant path where the RO tangent height (h_t) is far below the ionospheric sources. In this study, the L–band S4 from the RO measurements at h_t = 30 km is used to infer the amplitude scintillation on the ground. The analysis of global RO data at h_t = 30 km shows that sporadic–E (Es), equatorial plasma bubbles (EPBs), and equatorial spread–F (ESF) produce most of the significant S4 enhancements, although the polar S4 is generally weak. The enhanced S4 is a strong function of local time and magnetic dip angle. The Es–induced daytime S4 tends to have a negative correlation with the solar cycle at low latitudes but a positive correlation at high latitudes. The nighttime S4 is dominated by a strong semiannual variation at low latitudes. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Remote Sensing of Ionosphere Observation and Investigation)

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16 pages, 4248 KiB

Open AccessArticle

The First Pi2 Pulsation Observed by China Seismo-Electromagnetic Satellite

by Essam Ghamry, Dedalo Marchetti, Akimasa Yoshikawa, Teiji Uozumi, Angelo De Santis, Loredana Perrone, Xuhui Shen and Adel Fathy

Remote Sens. 2020, 12(14), 2300; https://doi.org/10.3390/rs12142300 - 17 Jul 2020

Cited by 9 | Viewed by 3130

Abstract

On 2 February 2018, the China Seismo-Electromagnetic Satellite (CSES) ZhangHeng 01 (ZH-01) was successfully launched, carrying on board, in addition to a suite of plasma and particle physics instruments, a high precision magnetometer package (HPM), able to observe the ultra-low frequency (ULF) waves. [...] Read more.

On 2 February 2018, the China Seismo-Electromagnetic Satellite (CSES) ZhangHeng 01 (ZH-01) was successfully launched, carrying on board, in addition to a suite of plasma and particle physics instruments, a high precision magnetometer package (HPM), able to observe the ultra-low frequency (ULF) waves. In this paper, a night time Pi2 pulsation observed by CSES is reported for the first time. This Pi2 event occurred on 3 September 2018, and began at 14:30 UT (02:37 magnetic local time), when the satellite was in the southern hemisphere between −49 and −13 magnetic latitude (MLAT). Kakioka (KAK) ground station in Japan detected the same Pi2 between 14:30–14:42 UT (23:30–23:42 local time). The Pi2 oscillations in the compressional, toroidal, and poloidal components at the CSES satellite and the H-component at the KAK station are investigated by estimating coherence, amplitude, and cross-phase. We noticed a high degree of similarity between the Pi2 event in the horizontal component at KAK and the ionospheric fluctuations in the compressional component at CSES. This high correlation indicated the magnetospheric source of the Pi2 event. In addition, Pi2 is exhibited clearly in the δBy component at CSES, which is highly correlated with the ground H component, so the Pi2 event could be explained by the Substorm Current Wedge (SCW). This interpretation is further confirmed by checking the compressional component of Van Allen Probe (VAP) B satellite inside the plasmasphere, which, for the first time, gives observational support for an earlier model. This ULF wave observation shows the consistency and reliability of the high precision magnetometer (HPM) equipped by two fluxgate magnetometers (FGM1 and FGM2) onboard CSES. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Remote Sensing of Ionosphere Observation and Investigation)

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19 pages, 5031 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Small-Scale Ionospheric Irregularities of Auroral Origin at Mid-latitudes during the 22 June 2015 Magnetic Storm and Their Effect on GPS Positioning

by Yury Yasyukevich, Roman Vasilyev, Konstantin Ratovsky, Artem Setov, Maria Globa, Semen Syrovatskii, Anna Yasyukevich, Alexander Kiselev and Artem Vesnin

Remote Sens. 2020, 12(10), 1579; https://doi.org/10.3390/rs12101579 - 15 May 2020

Cited by 25 | Viewed by 3155

Abstract

Small-scale ionospheric irregularities affect navigation and radio telecommunications. We studied small-scale irregularities observed during the 22 June 2015 geomagnetic storm and used experimental facilities at the Institute of Solar-Terrestrial Physics of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences (ISTP SB RAS) [...] Read more.

Small-scale ionospheric irregularities affect navigation and radio telecommunications. We studied small-scale irregularities observed during the 22 June 2015 geomagnetic storm and used experimental facilities at the Institute of Solar-Terrestrial Physics of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences (ISTP SB RAS) located near Irkutsk, Russia (~52°N, 104°E). The facilities used were the DPS-4 ionosonde (spread-F width), receivers of the Irkutsk Incoherent Scatter Radar (Cygnus A signal amplitude scintillations), and GPS/GLONASS receivers (amplitude and phase scintillations), while 150 MHz Cygnus A signal recording provides a unique data set on ionosphere small-scale structure. We observed increased spread-F, Cygnus A signal amplitude scintillations, and GPS phase scintillations near 20 UT on 22 June 2015 at mid-latitudes. GPS/GLONASS amplitude scintillations were at a quiet time level. By using global total electron content (TEC) maps, we conclude that small-scale irregularities are most likely caused by the auroral oval expansion. In the small-scale irregularity region, we recorded an increase in the precise point positioning (PPP) error. Even at mid-latitudes, the mean PPP error is at least five times that of the quiet level and reaches 0.5 m. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Remote Sensing of Ionosphere Observation and Investigation)

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17 pages, 3260 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Estimation of GPS Differential Code Biases Based on Independent Reference Station and Recursive Filter

by Liangliang Yuan, Shuanggen Jin and Mainul Hoque

Remote Sens. 2020, 12(6), 951; https://doi.org/10.3390/rs12060951 - 16 Mar 2020

Cited by 7 | Viewed by 2678

Abstract

The differential code bias (DCB) of the Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) receiver should be precisely corrected when conducting ionospheric remote sensing and precise point positioning. The DCBs can usually be estimated by the ground GNSS network based on the parameterization of the [...] Read more.

The differential code bias (DCB) of the Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) receiver should be precisely corrected when conducting ionospheric remote sensing and precise point positioning. The DCBs can usually be estimated by the ground GNSS network based on the parameterization of the global ionosphere together with the global ionospheric map (GIM). In order to reduce the spatial-temporal complexities, various algorithms based on GIM and local ionospheric modeling are conducted, but rely on station selection. In this paper, we present a recursive method to estimate the DCBs of Global Positioning System (GPS) satellites based on a recursive filter and independent reference station selection procedure. The satellite and receiver DCBs are estimated once per local day and aligned with the DCB product provided by the Center for Orbit Determination in Europe (CODE). From the statistical analysis with CODE DCB products, the results show that the accuracy of GPS satellite DCB estimates obtained by the recursive method can reach about 0.10 ns under solar quiet condition. The influence of stations with bad performances on DCB estimation can be reduced through the independent iterative reference selection. The accuracy of local ionospheric modeling based on recursive filter is less than 2 Total Electron Content Unit (TECU) in the monthly median sense. The performance of the recursive method is also evaluated under different solar conditions and the results show that the local ionospheric modeling is sensitive to solar conditions. Moreover, the recursive method has the potential to be implemented in the near real-time DCB estimation and GNSS data quality check. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Remote Sensing of Ionosphere Observation and Investigation)

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17 pages, 5998 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Modeling and Prediction of Regular Ionospheric Variations and Deterministic Anomalies

by Mahmoud Rajabi, Alireza Amiri-Simkooei, Hossein Nahavandchi and Vahab Nafisi

Remote Sens. 2020, 12(6), 936; https://doi.org/10.3390/rs12060936 - 13 Mar 2020

Cited by 10 | Viewed by 3323

Abstract

Knowledge on the ionospheric total electron content (TEC) and its prediction are of great practical importance and engineering relevance in many scientific disciplines. We investigate regular ionospheric anomalies and TEC prediction by applying the least squares harmonic estimation (LS-HE) technique to a 15 [...] Read more.

Knowledge on the ionospheric total electron content (TEC) and its prediction are of great practical importance and engineering relevance in many scientific disciplines. We investigate regular ionospheric anomalies and TEC prediction by applying the least squares harmonic estimation (LS-HE) technique to a 15 year time series of the vertical TEC (VTEC) from 1998 to 2014. We first detected a few new regular and modulated signals in the TEC time series. The multivariate analysis of the time series indicates that there are diurnal, annual, 11 year, and 27 day periodic signals, as well as their higher harmonics. We also found periods matching with the global positioning system (GPS) draconitic year in the TEC time series. The results from the modulated harmonic analysis indicate that there exists a set of peaks with periods of

1 \pm 0.0027 j

(

j = 1, \dots, 5

) and

1 \pm 0.00025 j

(

j = 1, 2, 3

) days. The same situation holds also true for the harmonics higher than the diurnal signal. A model is then adopted based on the discovered periods. This model, which consists of pure and modulated harmonic functions, is shown to be appropriate for assessing the regular variations and ionospheric anomalies. There is a clear maximum TEC at around 22:00 h, which we called the “evening anomaly”. The evening anomaly occurs in the winter and autumn, and is dependent on the solar activities. Also, the Semiannual, Winter, and Equatorial anomalies were investigated. Finally, to investigate the performance of the derived model, the TEC values have been predicted monthly, and the results show that the modulated signals can significantly contribute to obtaining superior prediction results. Compared with the pure signals, the modulated signals can improve a yearly average root mean squared error (RMSE) value in the lower and higher solar activities by 20% and 15%, respectively. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Remote Sensing of Ionosphere Observation and Investigation)

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16 pages, 6841 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Traveling Ionospheric Disturbances Characteristics during the 2018 Typhoon Maria from GPS Observations

by Yiduo Wen and Shuanggen Jin

Remote Sens. 2020, 12(4), 746; https://doi.org/10.3390/rs12040746 - 24 Feb 2020

Cited by 12 | Viewed by 5038

Abstract

Typhoons often occur and may cause huge loss of life and damage of infrastructures, but they are still difficult to precisely monitor and predict by traditional in-situ measurements. Nowadays, ionospheric disturbances at a large-scale following typhoons can be monitored using ground-based dual-frequency Global [...] Read more.

Typhoons often occur and may cause huge loss of life and damage of infrastructures, but they are still difficult to precisely monitor and predict by traditional in-situ measurements. Nowadays, ionospheric disturbances at a large-scale following typhoons can be monitored using ground-based dual-frequency Global Positioning System (GPS) observations. In this paper the responses of ionospheric total electron content (TEC) to Typhoon Maria on 10 July 2018 are studied by using about 150 stations of the GPS network in Taiwan. The results show that two significant ionospheric disturbances on the southwest side of the typhoon eye were found between 10:00 and 12:00 UTC. This was the stage of severe typhoon and the ionospheric disturbances propagated at speeds of 118.09 and 186.17 m/s, respectively. Both traveling ionospheric disturbances reached up to 0.2 TECU and the amplitudes were slightly different. The change in the filtered TEC time series during the typhoon was further analyzed with the azimuth. It can be seen that the TEC disturbance anomalies were primarily concentrated in a range of between −0.2 and 0.2 TECU and mainly located at 135–300° in the azimuth, namely the southwest side of the typhoon eye. The corresponding frequency spectrum of the two TEC time series was about 1.6 mHz, which is consistent with the frequency of gravity waves. Therefore, the upward propagating gravity wave was the main cause of the traveling ionospheric disturbance during Typhoon Maria. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Remote Sensing of Ionosphere Observation and Investigation)

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15 pages, 5826 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Evaluation of E Layer Dominated Ionosphere Events Using COSMIC/FORMOSAT-3 and CHAMP Ionospheric Radio Occultation Data

by Sumon Kamal, Norbert Jakowski, Mohammed M. Hoque and Jens Wickert

Remote Sens. 2020, 12(2), 333; https://doi.org/10.3390/rs12020333 - 20 Jan 2020

Cited by 9 | Viewed by 2999

Abstract

At certain geographic locations, especially in the polar regions, the ionization of the ionospheric E layer can dominate over that of the F2 layer. The associated electron density profiles show their ionization maximum at E layer heights between 80 and 150 km above [...] Read more.

At certain geographic locations, especially in the polar regions, the ionization of the ionospheric E layer can dominate over that of the F2 layer. The associated electron density profiles show their ionization maximum at E layer heights between 80 and 150 km above the Earth’s surface. This phenomenon is called the “E layer dominated ionosphere” (ELDI). In this paper we systematically investigate the characteristics of ELDI occurrences at high latitudes, focusing on their spatial and temporal variations. In our study, we use ionospheric GPS radio occultation data obtained from the COSMIC/FORMOSAT-3 (Constellation Observing System for Meteorology, Ionosphere, and Climate/Formosa Satellite Mission 3) and CHAMP (Challenging Minisatellite Payload) satellite missions. The entire dataset comprises the long period from 2001 to 2018, covering the previous and present solar cycles. This allows us to study the variation of the ELDI in different ways. In addition to the geospatial distribution, we also examine the temporal variation of ELDI events, focusing on the diurnal, the seasonal, and the solar cycle dependent variation. Furthermore, we investigate the spatiotemporal dependency of the ELDI on geomagnetic storms. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Remote Sensing of Ionosphere Observation and Investigation)

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17 pages, 8520 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Advantages of Uncombined Precise Point Positioning with Fixed Ambiguity Resolution for Slant Total Electron Content (STEC) and Differential Code Bias (DCB) Estimation

by Jin Wang, Guanwen Huang, Peiyuan Zhou, Yuanxi Yang, Qin Zhang and Yang Gao

Remote Sens. 2020, 12(2), 304; https://doi.org/10.3390/rs12020304 - 17 Jan 2020

Cited by 12 | Viewed by 3007

Abstract

The determination of slant total electron content (STEC) between satellites and receivers is the first step for establishing an ionospheric model. However, the leveling errors, caused by the smoothed ambiguity solutions in the carrier-to-code leveling (CCL) method, degrade the performance of ionosphere modeling [...] Read more.

The determination of slant total electron content (STEC) between satellites and receivers is the first step for establishing an ionospheric model. However, the leveling errors, caused by the smoothed ambiguity solutions in the carrier-to-code leveling (CCL) method, degrade the performance of ionosphere modeling and differential code bias (DCB) estimation. To reduce the leveling errors, an uncombined and undifferenced precise point positioning (PPP) method with ambiguity resolution (AR) was used to directly extract the STEC. Firstly, the ionospheric observables were estimated with CCL, PPP float-ambiguity solutions, and PPP fixed-ambiguity solutions, respectively, to analyze the short-term temporal variation of receiver DCB in zero or short baselines. Then, the global ionospheric map (GIM) was modeled using three types of ionospheric observables based on the single-layer model (SLM) assumption. Compared with the CCL method, the slight variations of receiver DCBs can be obviously distinguished using high precise ionospheric observables, with a 58.4% and 71.2% improvement of the standard deviation (STD) for PPP float-ambiguity and fixed-ambiguity solutions, respectively. For ionosphere modeling, the 24.7% and 27.9% improvements for posteriori residuals were achieved for PPP float-ambiguity and fixed-ambiguity solutions, compared to the CCL method. The corresponding improvement for residuals of the vertical total electron contents (VTECs) compared with the Center for Orbit Determination in Europe (CODE) final GIM products in global accuracy was 9.2% and 13.7% for PPP float-ambiguity and fixed-ambiguity solutions, respectively. The results show that the PPP fixed-ambiguity solution is the best one for the GIM product modeling and satellite DCBs estimation. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Remote Sensing of Ionosphere Observation and Investigation)

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25 pages, 8229 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Understanding Inter-Hemispheric Traveling Ionospheric Disturbances and Their Mechanisms

by Olusegun F. Jonah, Shunrong Zhang, Anthea J. Coster, Larisa P. Goncharenko, Philip J. Erickson, William Rideout, Eurico R. de Paula and Rodolfo de Jesus

Remote Sens. 2020, 12(2), 228; https://doi.org/10.3390/rs12020228 - 09 Jan 2020

Cited by 11 | Viewed by 4612

Abstract

Traveling ionospheric disturbances (TIDs) are wave-like disturbances in ionospheric plasma density. They are often observed during both quiet (medium-scale TID) and geomagnetically disturbed (large-scale TID) conditions. Their amplitudes can reach double-digit percentages of the background plasma density, and their existence presents a challenge [...] Read more.

Traveling ionospheric disturbances (TIDs) are wave-like disturbances in ionospheric plasma density. They are often observed during both quiet (medium-scale TID) and geomagnetically disturbed (large-scale TID) conditions. Their amplitudes can reach double-digit percentages of the background plasma density, and their existence presents a challenge for accurate ionosphere specification. In this study, we examine TID properties using observations obtained during two geomagnetically disturbed periods using multiple ground and space-borne instruments, such as magnetometers, Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) receivers, and the SWARM satellite. Reference quiet time observations are also provided for both storms. We use a thermosphere–ionosphere–electrodynamics general circulation model (TIEGCM) results to properly interpret TID features and their drivers. This combination of observations and modeling allows the investigation of variations of TID generation mechanisms and subsequent wave propagation, particularly as a function of different plasma background densities during various geophysical conditions. The trans-equatorial coupling of TIDs in the northern and southern hemispheres is also investigated with respect to attenuation and propagation characteristics. We show that TID properties during trans-equatorial events may be substantially affected by storm time background neutral wind perturbation. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Remote Sensing of Ionosphere Observation and Investigation)

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15 pages, 4747 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Improved Faraday Rotation Estimation in Spaceborne PolSAR Data Using Total Variation Denoising

by Wulong Guo, Lu Liu, Bo Liu, Liang Chen, Haisheng Zhao and Cheng Wang

Remote Sens. 2019, 11(24), 2943; https://doi.org/10.3390/rs11242943 - 09 Dec 2019

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2301

Abstract

Faraday rotation (FR) is a serious problem for spaceborne polarization SAR (PolSAR) systems at L and P bands. One way to solve the problem is to estimate the FR from PolSAR data for further compensation. Therefore, precise estimation of FR from PolSAR data [...] Read more.

Faraday rotation (FR) is a serious problem for spaceborne polarization SAR (PolSAR) systems at L and P bands. One way to solve the problem is to estimate the FR from PolSAR data for further compensation. Therefore, precise estimation of FR from PolSAR data not only determines the compensation effect of polarimetric systems but also benefits the ionospheric sounding with high spatial resolution. Among the factors that affect the FR estimation, system noise is a non-neglectable factor. Although average filtering (AF) has been widely used in previous works for noise removing it depends on large window size, and therefore reduces the spatial resolution of FR estimation. In order to realize optimal noise suppression with minimized resolution loss, the total variation (TV) denoising method is applied in this paper. By testing the Advanced Land Observing Satellite (ALOS) Phased Array L-band Synthetic Aperture Radar (PALSAR) full-pol datasets, TV and AF are compared and validated. Results using synthetic and real data show that, after TV denoising, the FR can be recovered with high spatial resolution and the noise level in estimated FR is reduced more effectively than that after AF. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Remote Sensing of Ionosphere Observation and Investigation)

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Other

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10 pages, 2624 KiB

Open AccessLetter

Study on Seasonal Variations of Plasma Bubble Occurrence over Hong Kong Area Using GNSS Observations

by Long Tang, Wu Chen, Osei-Poku Louis and Mingli Chen

Remote Sens. 2020, 12(15), 2423; https://doi.org/10.3390/rs12152423 - 28 Jul 2020

Cited by 8 | Viewed by 2362

Abstract

In this study, the characteristics and causes of the seasonal variations in plasma bubble occurrence over the Hong Kong area were investigated using the local Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) network. Generally, the occurrences of plasma bubbles were larger in the two equinoxes [...] Read more.

In this study, the characteristics and causes of the seasonal variations in plasma bubble occurrence over the Hong Kong area were investigated using the local Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) network. Generally, the occurrences of plasma bubbles were larger in the two equinoxes than in the two solstices. Furthermore, two seasonal asymmetries in plasma bubble occurrence were observed: plasma bubble activity was more frequent in the spring equinox than in the autumn equinox (equinoctial asymmetry), and more frequent in the summer solstice than in the winter solstice (solstitial asymmetry). The equinoctial asymmetry could be explained using the Rayleigh–Taylor (R–T) instability mechanism, due to larger R–T growth rates in the spring equinox than in the autumn equinox. However, the R–T growth rate was smaller in the summer solstice than in the winter solstice, suggesting the R–T instability mechanism was inapplicable to the solstitial asymmetry. Our results showed there were more zonally propagating atmospheric gravity waves (GWs) induced by thunderstorm events over the Hong Kong area in the summer solstice than the winter solstice. So, the solstitial asymmetry could be attributed to the seeding mechanism of thunderstorm-driven atmospheric GWs. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Remote Sensing of Ionosphere Observation and Investigation)

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14 pages, 5202 KiB

Open AccessLetter

Nadir-Dependent GNSS Code Biases and Their Effect on 2D and 3D Ionosphere Modeling

by Martin Håkansson

Remote Sens. 2020, 12(6), 995; https://doi.org/10.3390/rs12060995 - 19 Mar 2020

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 2265

Abstract

Recent publications have shown that group delay variations are present in the code observables of the BeiDou system, as well as to a lesser degree in the code observables of the global positioning system (GPS). These variations could potentially affect precise point positioning, [...] Read more.

Recent publications have shown that group delay variations are present in the code observables of the BeiDou system, as well as to a lesser degree in the code observables of the global positioning system (GPS). These variations could potentially affect precise point positioning, integer ambiguity resolution by the Hatch–Melbourne–Wübbena linear combination, and total electron content estimation for ionosphere modeling from global navigation satellite system (GNSS) observations. The latter is an important characteristic of the ionosphere and a prerequisite in some applications of precise positioning. By analyzing the residuals from total electron content estimation, the existence of group delay variations was confirmed by a method independent of the methods previously used. It also provides knowledge of the effects of group delay variations on ionosphere modeling. These biases were confirmed both for two-dimensional ionosphere modeling by the thin shell model, as well as for three-dimensional ionosphere modeling using tomographic inversion. BeiDou group delay variations were prominent and consistent in the residuals for both the two-dimensional and three-dimensional case of ionosphere modeling, while GPS group delay variations were smaller and could not be confirmed due to the accuracy limitations of the ionospheric models. Group delay variations were, to a larger extent, absorbed by the ionospheric model when three-dimensional ionospheric tomography was performed in comparison with two-dimensional modeling. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Remote Sensing of Ionosphere Observation and Investigation)

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13 pages, 4628 KiB

Open AccessLetter

Estimation and Analysis of BDS-3 Differential Code Biases from MGEX Observations

by Qisheng Wang, Shuanggen Jin, Liangliang Yuan, Youjian Hu, Jie Chen and Jiabin Guo

Remote Sens. 2020, 12(1), 68; https://doi.org/10.3390/rs12010068 - 23 Dec 2019

Cited by 23 | Viewed by 3194

Abstract

The third generation of China’s BeiDou Navigation Satellite System (BDS-3) began to provide global services on 27 December, 2018. Differential code bias (DCB) is one of the errors in precise BDS positioning and ionospheric modeling, but the impacts on BDS-2 satellites and receiver [...] Read more.

The third generation of China’s BeiDou Navigation Satellite System (BDS-3) began to provide global services on 27 December, 2018. Differential code bias (DCB) is one of the errors in precise BDS positioning and ionospheric modeling, but the impacts on BDS-2 satellites and receiver DCB are unknown after joining BDS-3 observations. In this paper, the BDS-3 DCBs are estimated and analyzed using the Multi-Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) Experiment (MGEX) observations during the period of day of year (DOY) 002–031, 2019. The results indicate that the estimated BDS-3 DCBs have a good agreement with the products provided by the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) and Deutsche Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt (DLR). The differences between our results and the other two products are within ±0.2 ns, with Standard Deviations (STDs) of mostly less than 0.2 ns. Furthermore, the effects on satellite and receiver DCB after adding BDS-3 observations are analyzed by BDS-2 + BDS-3 and BDS-2-only solutions. For BDS-2 satellite DCB, the values of effect are close to 0, and the effect on stability of DCB is very small. In terms of receiver DCB, the value of effect on each station is related to the receiver type, but their mean value is also close to 0, and the stability of receiver DCB is better when BDS-3 observations are added. Therefore, there is no evident systematic bias between BDS-2 and BDS-2 + BDS-3 DCB. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Remote Sensing of Ionosphere Observation and Investigation)

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11 pages, 1556 KiB

Open AccessLetter

Statistical Observation of Thunderstorm-Induced Ionospheric Gravity Waves above Low-Latitude Areas in the Northern Hemisphere

by Long Tang, Wu Chen, Mingli Chen and Osei-Poku Louis

Remote Sens. 2019, 11(23), 2732; https://doi.org/10.3390/rs11232732 - 21 Nov 2019

Cited by 10 | Viewed by 2656

Abstract

Gravity waves (GWs) generated in the lower atmosphere can propagate upwards to ionospheric height. In this study, we investigated the correlation between ionospheric GWs detected by Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS)-derived total electron content data and thunderstorm events recorded by a local lightning-detection [...] Read more.

Gravity waves (GWs) generated in the lower atmosphere can propagate upwards to ionospheric height. In this study, we investigated the correlation between ionospheric GWs detected by Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS)-derived total electron content data and thunderstorm events recorded by a local lightning-detection network in the low-latitude region of Southern China during a four-year period, from 2014 to 2017. Ionospheric GWs were detected on both thunderstorm and non-thunderstorm days. Daytime ionospheric GW activity on high-thunderstorm days showed a similar convex-function-like diurnal variation to thunderstorm activity, which is different to the concave-function-like pattern on non-thunderstorm days. Daytime ionospheric GW activity on low-thunderstorm days showed an approximately linear rising trend and was of a larger magnitude than that of high-thunderstorm days, suggesting it may be mixed by non-thunderstorm origins. Night-time enhancement of ionospheric GW activity was observed on thunderstorm days but not on non-thunderstorm days. Furthermore, ionospheric GW activity on thunderstorm days showed a positive correlation to solar activity. These findings can effectively distinguish thunderstorm-related ionospheric GWs from those of non-thunderstorm origins and provide more comprehensive knowledge of thunderstorm–ionosphere coupling in low-latitude areas. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Remote Sensing of Ionosphere Observation and Investigation)

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