Observed effects of a geomagnetic storm on an RTK positioning network at high latitudes

Norwegian Mapping Authority, Hønefoss, Norway

^* corresponding author: e-mail: jacokn@statkart.no

Received: 16 March 2012
Accepted: 8 August 2012

Abstract

At high latitudes, above 60° N, in the vicinity of the auroral oval, the ionosphere frequently experiences disturbed conditions that impact GNSS-based services. The Norwegian Mapping Authority (NMA) is operating a national real-time kinematic (RTK) positioning network and an ionosphere monitoring software. This paper presents the ionospheric observations during a geomagnetic storm, and the observed consequences for the positioning service. Significant disruptions that can be clearly related to the ionospheric disturbances were observed. They tend to occur in roughly longitudinal bands, which is expected for disturbances caused by the particle and energy precipitation in the auroral oval. The position error is found to increase exponentially with increasing rate of TEC index (ROTI). The disturbances are compared to auroral electrojet measurements and results from an operational auroral oval forecasting model. The disturbances are found to be strongly related to auroral electrojet currents.