Statistical and event analysis of phase and amplitude scintillations associated with polar cap patches

Global navigation satellite systems (GNSS) or satellite navigation is an important technological advancement; however, it could be impacted by the effects of space weather, such as ionosphere scintillation. Ionosphere scintillation is one of the causes of errors in the GNSS signals and also has the potential to cause a loss of access to GNSS. Ionosphere scintillation often impacts the polar region; however, the cause is not always known. One potential source of scintillation is polar cap patches. In Ren et al., [2018], a polar cap patch database was created
based on the incoherent scatter radar measurements at Resolute Bay (RISR). Using data provided by the CHAIN Network of ionosphere scintillation detected near Resolute Bay in 2016, it can be determined how polar cap patches impact ionosphere scintillation. A statistical analysis as well as event analysis have been performed. Scintillation data with an elevation angle over 40 degrees were collected for each patch in the database and were compared to daily average. It was found that statistically there is no significant phase scintillation or amplitude scintillation increase associated with patch deep in the polar cap. In addition, there is no statistical difference between the scintillations observed at the patch center and the edges. Although roughly 85-90% of patches do not cause significant scintillation, there were roughly 10-15% that were associated with an increase in phase scintillation. We found a similar amount associated with amplitude scintillation, although only a few of the events were associated with both. We found that more significant scintillation associated with patches occurred near noon MLT. Additionally, we noticed an asymmetry where more patches that show higher scintillation than the daily average scintillation occurred during noon and dusk MLT and patches during dawn and midnight MLT had a lower scintillation compared to the daily average. Finally, we are looking into the plasma temperature profile and patch density gradient to determine if there is a trend in the patches that are associated with higher levels of scintillation. For the event analysis, three different patch events with and without enhanced scintillation were chosen for in-depth analysis and cross-comparison. Other datasets, including AMPERE FAC, SuperDARN convection and DMSP, are used to understand the plasma characteristics and geomagnetic activity conditions during these even