Effects of Total Solar Eclipse on Ionospheric Total Electron Content over Antarctica on 2021 December 4

Abstract

Abstract The effects of a total solar eclipse that occurred on 2021 December 4 on ionospheric total electron content (TEC) over Antarctic stations were studied. The study was based on GPS data obtained over Antarctica on the day of the eclipse and the days before and after the eclipse over six GPS stations. The findings of this study show that a total solar eclipse lowers the amount of ionization reaching the Earth’s surface with TEC values dropping across the stations. Finally, the enhancement of ΔTEC is quite different from one station to another station. This may also be due to the effect of solar heating conditions and the density of the Sun as exerted over the stations with the Sun side over one station and the clouded part over the others.