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

• Main Authors: Yury Yasyukevich, Roman Vasilyev, Konstantin Ratovsky, Artem Setov, Maria Globa, Semen Syrovatskii, Anna Yasyukevich, Alexander Kiselev, Artem Vesnin
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: MDPI AG 2020-05-01
• Series: Remote Sensing
• Subjects: small-scale irregularities; ionospheric scintillations; spread-F; S4; geomagnetic storm; precise point positioning
• Online Access: https://www.mdpi.com/2072-4292/12/10/1579

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.