A Case-Study: Correlation of GNSS Distortions and the Aurora During Increasing Solar Activitity

Abstract

Space weather impacts at high latitudes are often related to particle precipitation and displayed by the Aurora. It is known that transionospheric radio signals utilized by Global Navigation Satelites Systems (GNSS) are disturbed by these space weather impacts. The total electron content (TEC), derived from GNSS signal measurements along the ray path between satellite and ground receiver, is used to identify localized ionospheric disturbances. TEC is then correlated with simultaniously detected aurora structures. The EISCAT UHF radar is used to record ionospheric electron density and temperature height distributions along the magnetic field-line and along the GNSS line of sight. The present case study reports on a multi-instrumental measurement campain consisting of GNSS signal measurements, all-sky observations and EISCAT UHF radar measurements at quiet and disturbed geomagnetic conditions during increasing solar activity and discusses related ionospheric phenomena.