A Statistical Study of Horizontal Drifts and Ionospheric Diffraction Anisotropy in the Auroral Zone

Yang Su, Seebany Datta-Barua, Gary S. Bust, Kshitija Deshpande

Peer Reviewed

Abstract:	A high-latitude, closely-spaced Global Positioning System (GPS) receiver array has been used to quantify sub-kilometer scale ionospheric irregularities in the auroral zone, specifically horizontal drifts and anisotropy of the ground pattern. We present a combination of automated GPS receiver data collection and processing with the cross-correlation procedure of multi-baseline receiver measurements from the array during year 2014 from Poker Flat, Alaska. An automated low-rate scintillation detection routine has been established and performed for each day by screening the phase scintillation index. Several days in question with elevated phase variation are selected by evaluating the number of receivers with simultaneously scintillating channels. The cross-correlation analysis of high-rate phase and power measurements is applied to the processed high-rate measurements. Results of horizontal drift velocities and anisotropy ellipses derived from the parameters are shown. A sensitivity study is then presented to understand how drift estimates vary with cross-correlation parameters such as correlation value cut-off and estimation time interval. It is found that precision in drifts are sensitive to cutoffs for less correlated measurements, but a balance is required between the correlation value cutoff and number of measurements. Velocities do not show a clear relationship with estimation time interval but more estimates will be made for further interpretation in the future. Comparisons between estimated velocities from the array and those from incoherent scatter radar measurements shows fair agreement between the two. The temporal variations in anisotropy of the ground pattern are also discussed. Results show the possibility of routinely quantifying ionospheric irregularities by drifts and anisotropy.
Published in:	Proceedings of the 28th International Technical Meeting of the Satellite Division of The Institute of Navigation (ION GNSS+ 2015) September 14 - 18, 2015 Tampa Convention Center Tampa, Florida
Pages:	3766 - 3778
Cite this article:	Su, Yang, Datta-Barua, Seebany, Bust, Gary S., Deshpande, Kshitija, "A Statistical Study of Horizontal Drifts and Ionospheric Diffraction Anisotropy in the Auroral Zone," Proceedings of the 28th International Technical Meeting of the Satellite Division of The Institute of Navigation (ION GNSS+ 2015), Tampa, Florida, September 2015, pp. 3766-3778.
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