Study on Global Ionospheric Total Electron Contents Anomalies with Complex Network Model

Shihao Wang, Yang Liu, Kunlin Yang

Abstract:	The ionosphere is an important part of the earth's atmosphere and plays an important role in radio communication, broadcasting and satellite positioning. The standard method to evaluate the ionization intensity of the ionosphere is to measure the total electron content (TEC), which is an evaluation index of ionospheric changes. Accurate analysis of TEC is essential for studying the impact of space weather on radio propagation and related applications across the ionosphere. In this study, we studied the temporal and spatial characteristics of global TEC, used the complex network model to analyze the temporal and spatial changes and anomalies of ionospheric TEC, evaluated the impact of solar and geomagnetic activities on the ionosphere, and studied the internal relationship between different regions and the dynamic changes of ionospheric TEC. Our research shows that the characteristics of ionospheric TEC network are highly correlated with the geomagnetic index and the changes of solar activity. Magnetic storm events will increase the intensity and correlation of nodes near the equator, which will increase the number of dominant nodes near the equator. Strong solar activity will enhance the connectivity and aggregation of the network. In addition, the topological structure of ionospheric nodes at high latitudes is horizontal due to the earth's spatial geography, while the topological structure of ionospheric nodes is vertical due to the geomagnetic field at low latitudes. In general, the TEC complex network model proposed by us has been proved to be effective, intuitively presenting the key response regions and response nodes under space weather such as geomagnetic storms, and providing a new perspective for further understanding the dynamic changes of the ionosphere.
Published in:	Proceedings of the 2024 International Technical Meeting of The Institute of Navigation January 23 - 25, 2024 Hyatt Regency Long Beach Long Beach, California
Pages:	161 - 176
Cite this article:	Wang, Shihao, Liu, Yang, Yang, Kunlin, "Study on Global Ionospheric Total Electron Contents Anomalies with Complex Network Model," Proceedings of the 2024 International Technical Meeting of The Institute of Navigation, Long Beach, California, January 2024, pp. 161-176. https://doi.org/10.33012/2024.19529
Full Paper:	ION Members/Non-Members: 1 Download Credit Sign In