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Title: A comparison of Jason-2 plasmasphere electron content measurements with ground-based measurements
Abstract. Previous studies utilizing the Global Positioning System(GPS) receivers aboard Jason satellites have performed measurements ofplasmasphere electron content (PEC) by determining the total electroncontent (TEC) above these satellites, which are at altitudes of about 1340 km. This study uses similar methods to determine PEC for the Jason-2receiver for 24 July 2011. These PEC values are compared to previousdeterminations of PEC from a chain of ground-based GPS receivers in Africausing the SCORPION method, with a nominal ionosphere–plasmasphere boundaryat 1000 km. The Jason-2 PECs with elevations greater than 60∘were converted to equivalent vertical PEC and compared to SCORPION verticalPEC determinations. In addition, slant (off-vertical) PECs from Jason-2were compared to a small set of nearly co-aligned ground-based slant PECs.The latter comparison avoids any conversion of Jason-2 slant PEC toequivalent vertical PEC, and it can be considered a more representativecomparison. The mean difference between the vertical PEC (ground-basedminus Jason-2 measurements) values is 0.82 ± 0.28 TEC units (1 TEC unit=1016 electrons m−2). Similarly, the mean differencebetween slant PEC values is 0.168 ± 0.924 TEC units. The Jason-2 slantPEC comparison method may provide a reliable determination for theplasmasphere baseline value for the ground-based receivers, especially ifthe ground stations are confined to only midlatitude or low-latituderegions, which can be affected by a non-negligible PEC baseline.  more » « less
Award ID(s):
1848730
PAR ID:
10515562
Author(s) / Creator(s):
;
Publisher / Repository:
European Geosciences union
Date Published:
Journal Name:
Annales Geophysicae
Volume:
41
Issue:
1
ISSN:
1432-0576
Page Range / eLocation ID:
269 to 280
Subject(s) / Keyword(s):
plasmasphere electron content
Format(s):
Medium: X
Sponsoring Org:
National Science Foundation
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