Advantages of the new model of IRI (IRI-Plas) to simulate the ionospheric electron density: Case of the European area

Abstract

Satellite telecommunications, positioning and navigation systems require knowledge of the electron distribution in height Ne(h) to high-altitude orbits of satellites. One of the possibilities to construct such profiles is associated with the use of the ionospheric total electron content TEC. This paper is devoted to three advantages of the IRIPlas model. They include introduction of the topside basis scale height Hsc, expansion of the IRI model to the plasmasphere, ingestion of experimental values of TEC. Testing of this model according to different satellite experiments (CHAMP, DMSP) shows the high efficiency of this model. The method of adaptation of the IRI-Plas model to the plasma frequency at altitudes of CHAMP and DMSP satellites allows us to produce behavior of Ne(h)-profiles during the disturbances, as well as to refine the values of TEC, which determine the accuracy of positioning. Results were obtained using data of the European area. © Author(s) 2013.