GNSS observation of ionospheric density enhancements caused by particle precipitation

Abstract

Particle precipitation is one of the major sources of ionospheric disturbances. Using high-rate GNSS receiver data from DLR's EVNET network, we study ionospheric density enhancements originated from particle precipitation during magnetic storms. The results show that the impact areas of particle participation are bordered by sudden GNSS TEC enhancements, typically in the order of several TECU with a scale of kilometers along the receiver-satellite links. It is suggested that a coordinated observation setup of GNSS receiver and other ground facilities such as ground radars (e.g., ISR or VHF) and airglow imager is important to fully understand the impact of precipitating electrons into the ionosphere