Dst Index as a Potential Indicator of Approaching GNSS Performance Deterioration

Abstract

Space weather disturbances cause considerable effects on Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) performance and operation, affecting society and the economy due to the growing reliance on GNSS, especially in densely populated mid-latitudes. Recent studies hypothesised potential utilisation of the Disturbance storm-time (Dst) index for indication of an approaching ionospheric storm and possible deterioration of the GNSS positioning performance. We challenged the hypothesis in the case of the Halloween 2003 event in an attempt to confirm the direct correlation between the Dst index dynamics and the Global Positioning System (GPS) positioning performance in the mid-latitude Mediterranean area. Our results provide no evidence of the direct Dst-GNSS performance correlation for the observed event.