Comparison of ionosphere electron content variations at three widely-spaced stations along the northern Appleton anomaly crest

Abstract

Spatial correlation of ionospheric electron contents (IEC) obtained simultaneously at three subionospheric locations, namely, Lunping (lat. 22.7°N, long. 131.2°E), Gauhati (lat. 23.8°N, long. 83.6°E) and Udaipur (lat. 22.6°N, long. 69.6°E) situated along the crest of the northern equatorial anomaly, was studied for the low sunspot year 1976. Results indicate that the correlation of IEC between pairs of locations is a function of local time and is smaller compared to that obtained for similar longitudinal separations at mid-latitudes. The diurnal and seasonal variations of IEC at Lunping were different from those observed either at Gauhati or Udaipur, indicating a longitudinal influence. Deviations of IEC at one location from those observed at another were found to be influenced by seasonal variations.