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Monitoring the global-scale winter anomaly of total electron contents using GPS data

Earth, Planets and Space volume 61, pages 1019–1024 (2009)Cite this article

Abstract

The winter anomaly phenomenon of Total Electron Contents (TEC) at latitudes 15°–60°N and 15°S–60°S is presented using GPS carrier-phase data obtained from GPS stations during 2002. The correlation between the [O/N2] ratio estimated using the NRLMSISE-00 atmospheric model and the TEC winter anomaly is also investigated. The numerical results show that the TEC winter anomaly in different regions of the world tends to be dominated by different factors. In North America, the TEC winter anomaly is strongly affected by the magnetospheric processes in high latitudes and the [O/N2] ratio. In the Euro-Africa and Russia-Asia regions, the TEC winter anomaly depends mainly on the [O/N2] ratio at the latitude band of 30°–60°N, and the extent of the TEC winter anomaly gradually decreases from 60°N to 30°N. The extent of the TEC winter anomaly increases at the latitude band of 15°–30°N due to the influence of the meridional neutral wind and the seasonal changes of the subsolar point. However, the TEC winter anomaly was not observed in southern hemisphere in 2002. The TEC equinoctial asymmetries in the northern and southern hemisphere are also presented using GPS TEC values collected in March and September 2002.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Key Laboratory of Dynamic Geodesy, Institute of Geodesy and Geophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, 430077, China

    X. L. Huo, Y. B. Yuan & J. K. Ou

  2. School of Mathematical and Geospatial Sciences, RMIT University, GPO Box 2476V, Melbourne, Australia

    X. L. Huo & K. F. Zhang

  3. Applied Mathematics Section, School of Mathematics and Statistics, Hicks Building, Sheffield, S3 7HR, UK

    G. J. Bailey

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  1. X. L. Huo
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  2. Y. B. Yuan
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  3. J. K. Ou
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  4. K. F. Zhang
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  5. G. J. Bailey
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Correspondence to X. L. Huo.

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Huo, X.L., Yuan, Y.B., Ou, J.K. et al. Monitoring the global-scale winter anomaly of total electron contents using GPS data. Earth Planet Sp 61, 1019–1024 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1186/BF03352952

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1186/BF03352952

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