Implementing Total Electron Content in the Grand Unifed Incoherent Scattering Design and Analysis Program for Investigation of Causes to Scintillations

Abstract: Functionality for calculating and plotting diferent Total Electron Content (TEC) measurements such as Slant Total Electron Content (sTEC), error in sTEC, and VerticalTotal Electron Content (vTEC) was implemented into the data analysis program fromEuropean Incoherent Scattering Scientifc Association (EISCAT), the Grand Unifed Incoherent Scattering Design and Analysis Program (GUISDAP). This utilises a thin-singlelayer model of the ionosphere to convert sTEC into the more analytically useful vTEC.The use of having availability to such data when investigating ionospheric causes forradio wave scintillations using EISCAT data was demonstrated using the Saint Patrick’sday geomagnetic storm on March 17th 2015. It was found that the implemented TECfunctionality could serve as a tool for investigating scintillations. Spikes in the resultingTEC plots were co-located in time with scintillations in signals from satellites passing thesame area of the ionosphere. The cause for the scintillations seen at a ground receiverlocated in Tromsø during the Saint Patrick’s day storm was correlated with small scaleionospheric irregularities stemming from electron density enhancements during auroralactivity. Incoherent Scatter (IS) measurements have limitations due to the limited rangespan of the measurement when it comes to TEC calculations that are not as prominentin measurements from satellites located outside the ionosphere, and should therefore beconsidered a supplementary measurement to satellite measurements and not consideredequivalent.