Estimation of low-latitude ionospheric irregularity drifts using spaced low-cost GNSS-based scintillation monitors (ScintPi)

The dynamics of ionospheric electron density irregularities have always called the attention of the space science community. Determination of ionospheric irregularity drifts, for instance, is useful for fundamental and applied studies. Previous efforts have estimated irregularity drifts using closely-spaced ionospheric monitors. The relative high cost of commercial monitors, however, limited at least in part routine observations and observations at new sites.

To complement existing measurements, we have developed a low-cost ionospheric scintillation and total electron content (TEC) monitors based on commercial off-the-shelf GNSS receivers and single-board computers (Raspberry Pi). The latest version of this monitor is referred to as ScintPi 3.0.

In this work we present results related to a spaced-receiver ScintPi 3.0 experiment to estimate drifts of low-latitude irregularities associated with equatorial spread F (ESF). The experiment has been setup in Campina Grande, Brazil (7.213°S, 35.907°W, dip latitude ~15°S). For this experiment the monitors sample GNSS signals at a rate of 20 samples per second and the distance between the receiver is approximately 140 meters in the magnetic east-west direction.

In this work we will show that ScintPi results show zonal irregularity drifts that are in very good agreement with previous observations and expectations. We will highlight the ability of the system to measure signals transmitted by geostationary satellites (SBAS), which greatly facilitate the estimation of the drifts and interpretation of the measurements.