Ionospheric slab thickness: analysis and monitoring applications

Based on long time series of vertical incidence sounding and GPS TEC observational data, analyses have been made on both climatological and storm-time patterns of the ionospheric slab thickness behavior, such as the pre-dawn and post-sunset enhancements and the correlation with plasma scale height. Particular attention will be given to the variations during active geomagnetic conditions. Potential applications of these analytical results and present-day monitoring capabilities will be discussed as well. Ionospheric slab thickness monitoring, when available in real time and for several suitable locations in a region of interest, can be used for detecting and eventually predicting the propagation features of ionospheric disturbances. A local monitoring system has been developed by RMI Belgium to provide better real-time ionospheric characterization and understanding of the local ionospheric dynamics at Dourbes (50.09°N, 04.59°E). The feasibility of establishing an operational system for broad mapping of the ionospheric slab thickness over Europe is being investigated