Impact of the 24 september 2011 solar radio burst on the performance of GNSS receivers

Abstract

Intense solar radio bursts occurring at the L-band frequencies can significantly impact the performance of Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) receivers in the sunlit hemisphere of the Earth. An intense solar radio burst occurred on 24 September 2011, with a maximum power of 110,000 solar flux units (10-22 W/m2/Hz) at 1.415 GHz. This manuscript aims to contribute insight on the impact of this solar radio burst on the performance of the GNSS receivers in the European and Latin American sectors. Maximum reductions of 11.0, 22.0, and 10.0 dB Hz in the carrier-to-noise density ratio (C/N0) of the GPS L1C/A, L2P, and L2C signals, respectively, were observed. The C/N0 reduction is modulated by the local solar incidence angle for the GPS L1C/A and L2P signals, whereas such modulation was not observed for the GPS L2C signal. The solar radio burst also had an adverse effect on the recorded GNSS pseudorange and carrier phase data, thereby causing positioning errors, which are also presented herein. Key Points C/N0 reduction of the GPS signals correlated with local solar incidence angleAdverse effect on recorded pseudorange and carrier phase data of GPS signalsObserved GPS Positioning errors correlated with the local solar incidence angle ©2013. American Geophysical Union. All Rights Reserved.