Satellite Radio-Scintillation Observations

The irregularities in the density and movement of free electrons in the ionosphere are known as ionospheric scintillation. Severe scintillation conditions can prevent a GNSS receiver from locking on to the signal and can make it impossible to calculate a position. Scintillation is more prevalent at low and high latitudes. At high latitudes, differs from the lower regions, irregularities, which range in size from a few meters to a few tens of kirometers, often exhibit highly dynamic behavior when disturbed by solar wind and the magnetosphere.We developed an ionospheric scintillation observation system that consists of three closely spaced GPS receivers in SYOWA station, and scintillation is quantified by TEC (Total Electron Content: the vertically integrated electron density) and an index S4 (the amplitude scintillation of the carrier wave). We have been monitoring the scintillation since 2012, and they can also be seen on our website.电离层中自由电子的密度与运动不规则现象，被称为电离层闪烁（ionospheric scintillation）。严重的电离层闪烁环境会导致全球导航卫星系统（GNSS）接收机无法锁定信号，进而无法解算位置坐标。电离层闪烁在低纬度与高纬度地区更为频发。高纬度区域的不规则性尺度从数米至数十千米不等，与低纬度区域存在显著差异；当受到太阳风与磁层扰动时，这类不规则性往往会呈现出高度动态的变化特征。我们研发了一套电离层闪烁观测系统，该系统在昭和站（SYOWA station）部署了三台间距紧凑的GPS接收机；电离层闪烁通过TEC（总电子含量：垂直积分电子密度）以及S4指数（载波振幅闪烁指数）进行量化。我们自2012年起便持续监测电离层闪烁相关数据，相关观测结果也可在本团队的官方网站上查询获取。