The ionosphere over India has been modelled more accurately for the first time. Researchers from the Indian Institute of Geomagnetism (IIG), an autonomous body of the Department of Science and Technology (DST), combined ground‑based ionosonde data with space‑based COSMIC radio occultation measurements. This new method improves the representation of the topside ionosphere and its scale height profile.
Key Developments
- Integration of ionosonde observations with COSMIC occultation data to reconstruct electron density up to ~1000 km.
- Derivation of altitude‑dependent scale height gradient specific to the Indian region.
- Validation of the reconstructed profiles using in‑situ measurements from the Swarm satellite.
- Seasonal electron density profiles for 2014 over Tirunelveli demonstrate the model’s robustness.
Important Facts
• The electron density varies with height and time, affecting HF radio, GPS, and Indian NAVIC navigation.
• Most LEO satellites op