Scintillation Index Analysis of Ship-Borne GNSS Data Recorded During Cruises of Research Vessels in the Arctic

We report in this paper on a study of scintillation index data acquired with Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) receivers. The GNSS receiver were installed on research vessels for cruises in the Arctic. The focus lies on a one-year data set recorded during the MOSAiC expedition (Multidisciplinary Drifting Observatory for the Study of Arctic Climate) between autumn 2019 and late summer 2020. In general, the level of phase and amplitude indices, retrieved for this expedition period, was in the weak scintillation regime. We found anomalies of the amplitude index (S4) that reach slightly increased level, when higher sea state was reported that varies the ship’s vertical displacement (heave). The consideration of sea state and changing multipath conditions is an important aspect of the ship-based scenario. The results indicate that, if these conditions are considered, the GNSS data sets can contribute to the monitoring of scintillation in remote areas, like the Arctic Ocean. Further data records on ships under more disturbed ionosphere conditions are anticipated.