The use of long-time EISCAT data series for improving ionospheric corrections models - First results

Plasma turbulence in the ionosphere is considered of significant importance for communication, navigation, and surveillance systems based on trans-ionospheric radio links, since radio scintillation caused by electron density irregularities in the ionosphere may result in signal degradation and outage. In addition, some remote sensing techniques may also experience severe disturbances. With the help of ionospheric models it is possible to correct for these disturbances up to certain levels. However, these models do not represent very well the real ionosphere at high latitudes, since the models have been built with the use of empirical data obtained at mid- and low-latitudes. Thus, one of the purposes of Work package 10 of the EISCAT 3D project is to investigate the feasibility and utility of employing long incoherent scatter radar data time series to improve the integrity of trans- ionospheric radio communication signals, especially at high latitudes. One critical area in which this contribution can be important is in improving the ionospheric models used by the GPS and the future Galileo global navigation satellite systems. We present the first results of comparisons between ionospheric models and long-time EISCAT data series and suggest ways for further progress of this part of work package 10 within the EISCAT 3D project.