Slant total electron content for Sirio-Mortelliccio ray path

Abstract

The Total Electron Content (TEC) is used to indicate the ionisation of the ionosphere. TEC is a quantity that concern for predicting space weather effects on telecommunications, improving the accuracy of satellite navigation, fly control vehicles and other systems that use transionospheric signals, because the ionospheric layer affects the mentioned signals. In this work the Slant Total Electron Content (STEC) was calculated with a technique that uses so-called «auxiliaries stations model», and a Chapman layer with scale height equal to atomic oxygen scale height (CHO). The validity was checked with STEC measurements obtained from geosynchronous satellite signals, for SIRIO-Mortelliccio link considering solstices and equinox, in high solar activity period. In general, the deviations between predictions and measurements were lower than 30% for 16 h per day (average). The results suggest that additional studies for other links and solar activity are required in order to improve the model predictions.