Abstract
In this paper, an IRI model assisted GPS-based Computerized Ionospheric Tomography (CIT) technique is developed to inverse the ionospheric electron density (IED) distribution over China. Essentially, an improved algebraic reconstruction technique (IART) is first proposed to reconstruct the ionospheric images with high resolution and high efficiency. A numerical experiment is used to validate the reliability of the method and its advantages to the classical algebraic reconstruction technique (ART). This is then used to reconstruct the IED images using the GPS data in China. The variations of the IED during magnetically quiet and disturbed days are reported and analyzed here. Reconstructed results during magnetically quiet days show some prominent ionospheric features such as the development of equatorial anomaly and the tilt of ionization crest. Meanwhile, ionospheric storm phase effects and disturbed features can also be revealed from the reconstructed IED image under storm conditions. Research shows that the positive storm phase effects usually happen in southern China, and the negative storm phase effects mainly occur in northern China. The equatorial anomaly crest moved to the north in the main phase of the storm. Ionosonde data recorded at Wuhan station provides the verification for the reliability of GPS-based CIT technique.
Article PDF
Similar content being viewed by others
Avoid common mistakes on your manuscript.
References
Afraimovich E L, Astafieva E I and Voyeikov S V 2004 Isolated ionospheric disturbances as deduced from global GPS network; Ann. Geophys. 22 47–62.
Austen J R, Franke S J and Liu C H 1986 Applications of computerized tomography techniques to ionospheric research; In: Radio beacon contribution to the study of ionization and dynamics of the ionosphere and corrections to geodesy (ed.) A Tauriainin (Finland: Oulu) pp. 25–32.
Austen J R, Franke S J and Liu C H 1988 Ionospheric imaging using computerized tomography; Radio Sci. 23 299–307.
Bailey G J, Balan N and Su Y Z 1997 The She_eld University plasmasphere ionosphere model — A review; J. Atmos. Sol. Terr. Phys. 59 1541–1552.
Balan N and Bailey G J 1995 Equatorial plasma fountain and its effects: Possibility of an additional layer. J. Geophys. Res. 21, 21,421–21,432.
Bilitza D 2003 Internation Reference Ionosphere: http://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/space/model/ionos/iri.html.
Bust G S, Garner T W and Gaussiran T L 2004 Ionospheric data assimiliation 3 dimensional (IDA3D): a global, multisensor, electron density specification algorithm; J. Geophys. Res. 109 doi: 10.1029/2003JA010234.
Fremouw E J, Secan J A and Howe B M 1992 Application of stochastic inverse theory to ionospheric tomography; Radio Sci. 27 721–732.
Gao Y and Liu Z Z 2002 Precise ionospheric modeling using regional GPS network data; J. GPS 1 18–24.
Hajj G A, Ibanez-Meier R, Kursinski E R and Roman L J 1994 Imaging the ionosphere with the Global Positioning System; Int. J. Imag. Syst. Technol. 5 174–184.
Hajj G A and Romans L J 1998 Ionospheric electron density profiles obtained with the global positioning system: results from the GPS/MET experiment; Radio Sci. 33 175–190.
Hansen A J, Walter T and Enge P 1997 Ionospheric correction using tomography; In: Proceedings of the institute of navigation; GPS-97, pp. 249–257.
Hernandez-Pajares M, Juan J M and Sanz J 1998 Global observation of ionospheric electronic response to solar events using ground and LEO GPS data; J. Geophys. Res. 103 20,789–20,796.
Hernandez-Pajares M, Juan J M and Sanz J 2000 Application of ionospheric tomography to real-time GPS carrier-phase ambiguities, at scales 400–1000 km and with high geomagnetic activity; Geophys. Res. Lett. 27 2009–2012.
Howe B M, Runciman K and Secan J A 1998 Tomography of the ionosphere: Four-dimensional simulations; Radio Sci. 33 109–128.
Huo X L, Yuan Y B, Ou J K, Wen D B and Luo X W 2005 The diurnal variations, seminal annual and winter anomalies of the ionospheric TEC based on GPS data in China; Prog. Nat. Sci. 15 56–60.
Jakowski N, Sardon E, Engler E, Jungstand A and Klahn D 1996 Relationship between GPS-signal propagation errors and EISCAT observations; Ann. Geophys. 14 1429–1436.
Jin S G, Park J U, Wang J L, Choi B K and Park P H 2006 Electron density profiles derived from ground-based GPS observations; J. Nav. 59 395–401.
Kunitsyn V E, Andreeva E S and Razinkov G O 1997 Possibilities of the near-space environment radio tomography; Radio Sci. 32 1953–1963.
Liu Z Z 2004 Ionosphere tomography modeling and applications using Global Positioning System (GPS) measurements; Ph.D thesis, Calgary University, Calgary, Canada.
Ma X F and Maruyama T 2005 Three-dimensional ionospheric tomography using observation data of GPS ground receiver and ionosonde by neural network; J. Geophys. Res. 110 doi: 10.1029/2004JA010797.
Mitchell C N and Spencer P S 2003 A three-dimensional time-dependent algorithm for ionospheric imaging using GPS; Ann. Geophys. 46 687–696.
Na H and Lee H 1991 Orthogonal decomposition technique for ionospheric tomography; Int. J. Imag. Syst. Technol. 3 354–365.
Otsuka Y, Ogawa T, Saito A, Tsugawa T, Fukao S and Miyazaki S 2002 A new technique for mapping of total electron content using GPS network in Japan; Earth Planets Space 54 63–70.
Raymund T D, Austen J R, Franke S J, Liu C H, Klobuchar J A and Stalker J 1990 Application of computerized tomography to the investigation of ionospheric structure; Radio Sci. 25 771–789.
Raymund T D 1995 Comparisons of several Ionospheric Tomography Algorithms; Ann. Geophys., 13 1254–1262.
Rius A, Ruffini G and Cucurull L 1998 Improving the vertical resolution of ionospheric tomography with GPS occultation; Geophys. Res. Lett. 24 2291–2294.
Ruffini G, Flores A and Rius A 1998 GPS tomography of the ionospheric electron content with a correlation function; IEEE. T. Geosci. Remote. 36 143–153.
Wen D B, Yuan Y B, Ou J K, Huo X L and Zhang K F 2007 Ionospheric temporal and spatial variations during the 18 August 2003 storm over China; Earth Planets Space 59 313–317.
Xia C L, Wan W X, Yuan H, Zhao B Q and Ding F 2005 Analysis of the intense magnetic storm of July 2000 and of October 2003 using the technique for nowcasting of GPS TEC data; Chinese J. Space Sci. 25 259–266.
Yang Y and Zhang S 2005 Adaptive fitting of systematic errors in navigation; J. Geodesy 79 43–49.
Yizengaw E, Dyson P L, Essex E A and Moldwin M B 2005 Ionosphere dynamic over the southern Hemisphere during the 31 March 2001 severe magnetic storm using multi-instrument measurement data; Ann. Geophys. 23 707–721.
Yin P and Mitchell C N 2005 Use of radio occultation data for ionospheric imaging during the April 2003 Disturbances; GPS Solu. 9 156–163.
Yuan Y B and Ou J K 1999 The effects of instrumental bias in GPS observations on determining ionospheric delays and the methods of its calibration; Acta Geodaetica et Cartographica Sinica 38 110–114.
Yuan Y B and Ou J K 2001 The first study of establishing China grid ionospheric model; In: Proceedings of Institute of Navigation, ION GPS-2001, Salt Lake City, September, pp. 2516–2524.
Yuan Y B and Ou J K 2002 Differential Areas for Differential Stations (DADS): A new method of establishing grid ionospheric model; Chinese Sci. Bull. 47 1033–1036.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Wen, D., Yuan, Y. & Ou, J. Monitoring the three-dimensional ionospheric electron density distribution using GPS observations over China. J Earth Syst Sci 116, 235–244 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12040-007-0023-5
Received:
Revised:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12040-007-0023-5