Speaker
Description
The ionosphere is a dynamic, inhomogeneous and conductive plasma formed from the interaction of solar Extreme Ultraviolet (EUV) and X-ray radiation with the quasi-neutral atmosphere of the Earth, found at 60 – 1000 km above sea level. With different peak levels of ionization, it is predominantly studied by determining the total number of particles that pass through a square meter area between a ground-based station and a GPS satellite – Total Electron Content (TEC). The importance of TEC is owed by its effect in radio communication, position, telemetry and tracking. An abundance of free electron gas in the ionosphere causes a delay of signals in the radio band. This study explores the long-term trends in TEC over South Africa at 2 GPS stations located 1000 km apart. TEC was computed using the IONOLAB software over SUTH and HRAO stations for a period of 25 years. The TEC trend analysis was performed using 3 solar proxies (sunspot numbers, MgII and F10.7). Preliminary results show a negative TEC trend between 1998 and 2023 over these mid-latitudes stations in South Africa. This is consistent with related global studies reported in the literature.
| Apply for student award at which level: | MSc |
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| Consent on use of personal information: Abstract Submission | Yes, I ACCEPT |
