[1] We compare ionospheric parameters including total electron content (TEC), peak density, and height of the F2 layer (NmF2 and hmF2) between FORMOSAT-3/COSMIC (F3/C) GPS radio occultation (RO) technique retrieved and International Reference Ionosphere (IRI-2001) model predicted during different seasons in a low solar activity (LSA) year 2007. The comparison of topside TEC (tTEC, obtained by integrating electron density from hmF2 to 800 km) between IRI and F3/C shows that the IRI overestimates tTEC during both equinox seasons at around ±15°magnetic latitudes during daytime, especially in March equinox while underestimation of tTEC predicted by IRI is a dominant feature for both solstices. Further, a common finding is that the IRI overestimates tTEC from evening to prenoon hours irrespective of season at around ±20°magnetic latitudes, which is most likely due to the underestimation of hmF2 (by around 30-40 km), a key parameter on which the build of electron density profile depends in the model and inaccurate representation of the real profile by the topside electron density profiler model in IRI. The global distributions and seasonal variations of NmF2 show clear semiannual and annual asymmetry features during daytime and such features also reflected in IRI predicted peak densities with few exceptions. This high degree of agreement between tTEC comparison and the characteristic features of NmF2 global distributions indicates that the majority of contribution for tTEC has come from the F2 region. Further, it is also presented the global distributions of topside vertical scale heights (VSH) computed using electron density profiles retrieved from F3/C and predicted by IRI model during different seasons in year 2007. An important finding is that the topside VSH of F3/C profile data is meticulously following the geomagnetic equator during daytime irrespective of season and tends to increase toward higher latitudes. An appreciable latitudinal difference is found in the season averaged scale heights that derived with F3/C data during daytime while completely opposite results are found for IRI predicted scale heights. The discrepancies of topside VSH between the F3/C derived and predicted by IRI indicating that the shape of the topside electron density profile in the IRI model should desperately be revised accordingly such that it more closely resembles the real situation.Citation: Potula, B. S., Y.-H. Chu, G. Uma, H.-P. Hsia, and K.-H. Wu (2011), A global comparative study on the ionospheric measurements between COSMIC radio occultation technique and IRI model,
[1] From global measurements of ionospheric electron density profiles made by the FORMOSAT-3/COSMIC satellites, the morphology of E region electron density is investigated. Seasonal, latitudinal, and diurnal variations in daytime E region electron density are well described by the Chapman theory, and the E layer peak electron density N m Eanditspeakheighth m Earegovernedbythesolarzenithanglecinaccordancewithrelations relations N m E /(cosc) p and h m E /ln(secc), respectively. However, it is revealed that there are three geomagnetic latitude regions where striking enhancements of the E region electron density occur. One of them is located at the geomagnetic equator with relatively narrow latitude extent of about 6°-10°, and the other two with much wider latitude extent of about 10°-20°appear on both sides of the geomagnetic equator in latitude regions ±20°-30°, respectively. The locations of these E region density enhancements are asymmetrical about the geomagnetic equator in solstice seasons, and they have a salient tendency to shift toward (away from) the summer (winter) hemisphere. The off-equator E region electron density enhancements are closely connected with the bottomside of the F region equatorial anomaly crests, where the component of the electron density parallel to the magnetic field line is maximum. It appears that the off-equator E region electron density enhancements are very likely the footprints of the F region equatorial anomaly crests. The morphologies of the exponent n and coefficient K in the power law relation between c and f o E (E region critical frequency) are also examined. There is a tendency for the n and K values to be larger in local winter than in local summer seasons in the latitudinal regions the same as the off-equator electron density enhancements. In addition, it is found that a minor peak in the K values is nearly continuously present in all seasons over the geomagnetic equator. A comparison shows significant discrepancies in the E region electron density morphologies between COSMIC measurement and IRI model prediction. Furthermore, compelling evidence is provided to show the presences of longitudinal wave number 3 and 4 structures of the electron density in the height region 100-200 km, which are in coincident with the longitudinal structures of equatorial electrojet. It is believed that these longitudinal 3-and 4-peak structures are very likely associated with nonmigrating diurnal tides propagating eastward in ionospheric E region.
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