Analysis of the Relationship between Scintillation Parameters, Multipath and ROTI

Area of Science:

• Space physics and geophysics
• Satellite navigation systems engineering

Background:

• Ionospheric scintillation significantly impacts Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) performance.
• Traditional scintillation indices (S4, σ_φ) require specialized receivers, limiting global monitoring.
• Accessible parameters are needed to broaden the study and monitoring of ionospheric scintillation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To propose and validate the use of multipath (MP) and rate of change of total electron content index (ROTI) as accessible proxies for ionospheric scintillation.
• To investigate the spatial and temporal relationships between MP, ROTI, and traditional scintillation indices (S4, σ_φ).

Main Methods:

• Utilized GPS data from three stations (Brazil and Antarctica) over six days.
• Calculated MP and ROTI with a 1-minute sampling interval, matching S4 and σ_φ.
• Applied a 30-degree satellite elevation mask to mitigate real multipath errors.
• Employed time series plots, 2D maps, structural similarity (SSIM), correlation coefficient (CC), variogram, and cross-variogram analyses.

Main Results:

• MP and ROTI demonstrated strong correlations (CC > 0.7) with S4 and σ_φ in over 70% of the analyzed outputs.
• Variogram and cross-variogram analyses confirmed spatial structures consistent with scintillation patterns.
• Promising spatial and temporal relationships were observed between the proposed accessible parameters and traditional scintillation indices.

Conclusions:

• MP and ROTI serve as viable and accessible indicators for characterizing ionospheric scintillation.
• This approach can facilitate wider global monitoring and research into scintillation effects on GNSS.
• The findings support the potential for using readily available data to understand space weather impacts on navigation systems.