Earth, Atmosphere & Environment Sciences
Title : | Characterization of bottom side ionosphere for improving accuracies of electron content estimation |
Area of research : | Earth, Atmosphere & Environment Sciences |
Principal Investigator : | Dr. Venkatesh Kavutarapu, Physical Research Laboratory, Ahmedabad, Gujarat |
Timeline Start Year : | 2023 |
Timeline End Year : | 2025 |
Contact info : | venkateshk@prl.res.in |
Equipments : | Printer
Computer |
Details
Executive Summary : | The distribution of ionospheric plasma over equatorial and low latitudes varies dynamically due to the vibrant electrodynamic process operating from the equator. These large variabilities disrupt satellite-based communication and navigation applications by introducing ambiguous range delays. Accurate models to estimate different ionospheric parameters are crucial, with the International Reference Ionosphere (IRI) and NeQuick2 being the most widely used models. However, these models exhibit large discrepancies over equatorial low latitude sectors like India due to the presence of vibrant electrodynamic phenomena and limited data from low latitudes in formulating empirical relations. Accurate estimates of ionospheric peak density, peak height, profile thickness and shape parameters are essential for constructing realistic electron density profiles. This project proposes characterizing the bottom side ionosphere using observations and empirical models to improve prediction accuracies in TEC estimation. Long-term observations of the bottom side ionosphere over the anomaly crest location Ahmedabad will be used. A systematic approach will be employed to decouple model discrepancies at different stages of the empirical construction of the bottom side ionospheric structure. Data assimilation studies will be carried out to infer modifications in empirical formations/coefficients suitable for low latitude sectors. These studies over anomaly crest locations have significant importance in improving the accuracy of ionospheric TEC prediction, required for estimating range delays in trans-ionospheric communication and navigation applications. |
Total Budget (INR): | 15,46,560 |
Organizations involved