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Automated power spectrum analysis of low-latitude ionospheric scintillations recorded using software GNSS receiver

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Abstract

The impact of equatorial plasma bubbles (EPBs) on signals from navigation satellites has remained unpredictable. EPBs could be tracked to some extent with prior knowledge of zonal drift and other important parameters associated with scintillations for a given local time. Aiming for this, we analyze high-rate carrier-to-noise (C/N0) GPS L1 signals recorded using a software GNSS receiver during February–April 2015. In the absence of an automated algorithm in this domain, a new algorithm is developed for estimation of power spectra, Fresnel frequency, noise floor, spectral slope, and ionospheric zonal irregularity drift using per minute scintillation patches. Importantly, since multipath and scintillation can co-occur at lower elevation angles, a new criterion for multipath identification and separation from scintillation and fading is defined as part of the automated algorithm. The C/N0 data above the threshold value of 0.17 of the scintillation index (S4) are only considered by this algorithm. Details of the approach and method are presented with example sets. Results for the estimated zonal drifts, spectral index, and decorrelation length of the post-sunset irregularities are illustrated. Variations in these parameters are presented along with local time, latitude, and longitude of the ionospheric pierce points. The drastic variations that a GPS user and a forecaster would encounter in equatorial latitudes are explained in terms of the challenge they pose. This study is probably the first in terms of automation of the process that shall be highly useful for single-station scintillation observations.

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Acknowledgments

Authors gratefully acknowledge the International GNSS Service (IGS) for providing GNSS final combined orbit solution product at NASA crustal dynamics data information system (CDDIS) accessed at ‘ftp://cddis.nasa.gov/gnss/products/’ and coordinated data analysis web (CDAWeb) at Goddard space flight data center (GSFC) accessed at ‘https://cdaweb.gsfc.nasa.gov/index.html/’ for providing IDM data onboard C/NOFS satellite. We thank Alahari Neelima for her contribution to API development for scintillation recording using SX-NSR. Software receiver ‘SX-NSR’ has been procured at NARL under the GNSS receiver network project supported by the Department of Space, Govt. of India.

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  1. National Atmospheric Research Laboratory, Gadanki, Tirupati, 517 112, India

    Himanshu Sekhar Sethi & N. Dashora

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  1. Himanshu Sekhar Sethi
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Sethi, H.S., Dashora, N. Automated power spectrum analysis of low-latitude ionospheric scintillations recorded using software GNSS receiver. GPS Solut 24, 33 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10291-019-0945-9

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