Theoretical model of space weather impact on GPS ionospheric delay

Abstract

Space weather is a common name for the group of physical and chemical processes taking place in the vast space between the Sun and the Earth. Caused primarily by the solar activity, those processes create a flow of materia and energy. When directed to the Earth and its surroundings, this flow disrupts magnetic and ionospheric conditions, affecting numerous technical systems that utilise characteristic of electromagnetic waves propagation. Satellite positioning systems are among technical systems affected by space weather conditions. The impact of space weather and ionospheric disturbances is especially pronounced in periods of severe solar activity. Numerous attempts have been performed in order to model satellite positioning error in relation to space weather, with limited application to certain special cases. Here a theoretical model is presented that represents the relation between characteristic parameters of space weather, ionosphere and GPS positioning error.