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Comparison of TEC from IRI-2016 and GPS during the low solar activity over Turkey

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Abstract

This paper presents the performance of the latest version of the International Reference Ionosphere (IRI-2016) model for estimating the Total Electron Content (TEC) variations in the mid-latitudinal Turkish regions during low solar activity years (2015–2018). Moreover, TEC is estimated from dual-frequency Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) receivers operating in different regions of Turkey: Zonguldak (41.44 °N, 31.77 °E), Ankara (39.88 °N, 32.75 °E) and Antalya (36.88 °N, 30.66 °E). The diurnal, monthly and seasonal variations in the measured TEC are compared with the prediction of modelled TEC. The results reveal minimum variations in the diurnal TEC after midnight hours 21:00–24:00 Universal Time (\(\text{UT}=\text{LT}+3{:}00~\text{hrs}\)) and maximum TEC enhancement during the daytime from 9:00–15:00 UT (12:00–18:00 LT). The monthly mean TEC from measured and modelled estimation depicts the highest and lowest values in April and December during the years 2015–2018, respectively. Moreover, the low and high seasonal variations are observed in equinoxes and winter solstice, respectively. Furthermore, it is observed that IRI-2016 model underestimates the measured values, especially during the daytime (12:00–18:00 LT) at each station. The correlation coefficient between the measured and modelled TEC is found in the range (\(R=0.81\text{--}0.85\)) during the years 2015–2018, which exhibits a high positive correlation over the regions. The model predicted TEC is showing a good agreement with measured TEC of the ionospheric dynamics over the regions, which manifests the radio signals accuracy over the mid-latitude regions, particularly Turkey.

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Acknowledgements

The authors are very grateful to the OMNI web, NASA, and Kyoto University for providing TEC data from the latest version of the IRI-2016 model and geomagnetic storm indices, respectively. The authors are also grateful to TUSAGA-Aktif for providing RINEX data files. We are also thankful to the Editor and anonymous reviewer for providing useful comments. This research was supported by the B-type Strategic Priority Program of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (XDB41000000), National Natural Science Foundation of China (42030202, 41774161), and “National key research and development program” (2017YFE0131400).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Centre for Earthquake Studies, National Centre for Physics, Islamabad, Pakistan

    M. Arslan Tariq & M. Ali Shah

  2. Key Laboratory of Earth and Planetary Physics, Institute of Geology and Geophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China

    M. Arslan Tariq & Libo Liu

  3. College of Earth and Planetary Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China

    M. Arslan Tariq & Libo Liu

  4. Institute of Space Technology, Islamabad, Pakistan

    Munawar Shah

  5. Space Education and GNSS Lab, National Centre of GIS and Space Application, Institute of Space Technology, Islamabad, Pakistan

    Munawar Shah

  6. Department of Geomatics Engineering, Faculty of Natural Sciences and Engineering, Tokat Gaziosmanpaşa University, Tokat, Turkey

    Samed Inyurt

  7. Mohe National Observatory of Geophysics, Institute of Geology and Geophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China

    Libo Liu

  8. Innovation Academy of Earth Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China

    Libo Liu

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  1. M. Arslan Tariq
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Tariq, M.A., Shah, M., Inyurt, S. et al. Comparison of TEC from IRI-2016 and GPS during the low solar activity over Turkey. Astrophys Space Sci 365, 179 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10509-020-03894-3

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