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Projecte llegit

Títol: Statistical Analysis of Ionospheric Irregularities Using ROTI L1 at High and Low Latitudes During 2024

Estudiants que han llegit aquest projecte:

Director/a: GONZÁLEZ CASADO, GUILLERMO

Departament: MAT

Títol: Statistical Analysis of Ionospheric Irregularities Using ROTI L1 at High and Low Latitudes During 2024

Data inici oferta: 19-01-2026     Data finalització oferta: 19-09-2026


Estudis d'assignació del projecte:
    MU AEROSPACE S&T 21
Tipus: Individual
 
Lloc de realització: EETAC
 
Paraules clau:
Ionosphere, Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS), Total electron content (TEC), Ionospheric irregularities, GNSS, ROTI L1, Total Electron Content (TEC), temporal variability, geomagnetic activity, high- and low-latitude ionosphere
 
Descripció del contingut i pla d'activitats:
Using a data base of values of the rate of total electron content index developed by the research group, the student should perform a climatological and statistical study of the ionospheric variability during 2024 based in the distribution of values from the data base for at least to locations in the American continent, one at high- and the other at low-latitude.

Work plan:
1,- Get familiar with the state of the art of studies about ionospheric variability using GNSS signals.

2.- Get familiar with the database and how to manage and extract the relevant information for the study.

3.- Develop specific statistical quantities to sound and characterize ionospheric variability.

4.- Perform a statistical study along the year 2024 and extract the main conclusions from the results of the study.

5.- Specific analysis of the impact of the largest geomagnetic storms in the ionospheric variability during 2024. Comparing the index values in stormy periods to the ones during quiet and non-storm periods.
 
Overview (resum en anglès):
This Master's thesis, proposed by the Research Group of Astronomy and Geomatics (gAGE) at the Universitat Politecnica de Catalunya (UPC), studies the temporal variability of ionospheric irregularities based on Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) observations. The analysis focuses on the Rate of Total Electron Content Index at L1 (ROTI L1), used as an indicator of ionospheric irregularities, and utilises data from 2024 collected at four stations located in the Americas: Kourou, French Guiana (KOUG), and Salta, Argentina (UNSA), at low latitudes, and Whitehorse, Canada (WHIT), and Yellowknife, Canada (YELL), at higher latitudes.

The methodology developed enables the assessment of the temporal availability of data and the analysis of the distribution of ROTI L1 at different scales. The procedure includes the calculation of monthly distributions using Complementary Cumulative Distribution Functions (CCDFs) and percentiles, and the definition of annual p90 and p99 thresholds. It also includes an examination of the daily frequency with which these thresholds are exceeded and an analysis of their variation by six-hour intervals, local time and month-hour combinations. The analyses were carried out by applying the coverage and selection criteria defined to ensure a consistent methodology across stations.

The results show clear temporal variability during 2024. The main common pattern was that all four stations recorded their reliable p90 minimum in July, although the periods of highest levels differed between stations. The daily analysis also showed that the days with the highest frequency of p90 exceedances do not necessarily coincide with those of p99. Clear differences were also observed in the hourly distribution and in the month-hour combinations. Some notable episodes coincided with significant geomagnetic disturbances, whilst others occurred under generally quiet conditions, indicating that the local response of ROTI L1 does not follow a simple, direct relationship with global geomagnetic intensity.

As part of the project, a web interface was also developed which integrates the analysis workflow and facilitates the execution of the various steps, as well as the visualisation and comparison of results across stations.

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