Analysis of Total Electron Content (TEC) Variations over Low-Latitude Indian Regions during a Low Sunspot Year of Solar Cycle 24

Abstract

The Total Electron Content (TEC) measurements from two stations in the Indian sector, namely the equatorial station Bangalore (Geographic latitude 12°, 58' N, longitude 77°, 35' E) and the equatorial ionization anomaly (EIA) station Varanasi (Geographic latitude 25°, 19' N, longitude 82°, 59' E), are used to examine the variations of the TEC. In comparison to Varanasi, Bangalore has greater daytime TEC values. At the anomalous crest locations, significant daily changes in the TEC values are seen. Three distinct possibilities for the topside electron density present in the model (IRI-2001, IR01-Corr, and Ne-Quick) have been taken into consideration when comparing the observed GPS-TEC with the IRI-2016 model-derived TEC. While the TEC using the IRI01-Corr and IRI-2001 approach exhibits greater variances, the TEC obtained using the Ne-Quick options exhibits better agreement with GPS-TEC.