Can the GPS-data-based Global Ionospheric Maps provide relevant
information on the polar ionospheric electron content distribution?
Abstract
The electron content distribution of the north and south polar
ionosphere is analyzed from 2001 to the beginning of 2019 from the
Global Ionospheric Maps of VTEC computed each 15 minutes by UPC-IonSAT
with a tomographic-Kriging combined technique. We have found the VTEC
footprint of features previously reported by different authors and with
different techniques: tongues of ionization, trough and dawn-side
drifting structure, flux transfer event, Theta-aurora VTEC observation
at SP, and Storm enhanced density (SED) during major geomagnetic storms.
Moreover, by means of an unsupervised clustering algorithm (Learning
Vector Quantization), we have characterized the main features of the
ionospheric electron content climatology, separately for the north and
south poles. In particular a mean Tongue Of Ionization (TOI) behaviour
over south polar ionosphere during 1345UT-1945UT, from November to
February, i.e. in local spring and summer seasons, is confirmed in
agreement with recent findings.