Optimizing the NeQuick Topside Scale Height Parameters Through COSMIC/FORMOSAT-3 Radio Occultation Data
Alessio Pignalberi, Michael Pezzopane, B. Nava
Abstract
In this study, the NeQuick topside scale height empirical parameters <inline-formula xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$H_{0}$ </tex-math></inline-formula> , <inline-formula xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$g$ </tex-math></inline-formula> , and <inline-formula xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$r$ </tex-math></inline-formula> are globally retrieved, for the first time, exploiting a selected dataset of about 1.8M COSMIC/FORMOSAT-3 radio occultation topside electron density profiles. Corresponding spatial, diurnal, seasonal, as well as solar and magnetic activity median trends are studied and discussed. The results of this study could be considered as a baseline for the implementation of an improved NeQuick topside formulation. Indeed, applications relying on single-frequency Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) signals would benefit from an ameliorated characterization of the topside ionosphere because empirical ionospheric models, like NeQuick, are used to mitigate the detrimental effect that the ionosphere–plasmasphere system has on GNSS signals.