Horizontal Spatial Correlation of the Ionospheric Day-To-Day Variations at Low Latitudes Based on GOLD Nmax Data

Peak electron density data derived from GOLD measurements during 2018–2022 are used to analyze the magnitudes and correlations of ionospheric diurnal variability at low latitudes. The correlation distance describes the correlations between spatial locations and is defined in this paper as the angular separation at which the correlation coefficient decreases from 1 to 0.7. Variations in correlation distance with local time, season, magnetic latitude, solar activity, and geomagnetic activity are discussed in this study. The average value of the zonal correlation distance is approximately 8.55° and 3.56° for the meridional direction at low geomagnetic latitudes (magnetic latitudes <30°). The statistical results indicate that both zonal and meridional correlation distances vary little with local time premidnight, while they show pronounced seasonal and latitudinal variations. Both zonal and meridional correlation distances increase with increasing solar activity and decrease with enhancing geomagnetic activity. The EIA strength and gradient mainly modulate the distributions of correlation distances related to magnetic latitude, season, and solar flux level. An empirical model is constructed to describe the temporal and spatial variations in the correlation distance at low latitudes. The study of correlation distances would contribute to a better understanding of ionospheric variability and improvements in data assimilation.