The international reference ionosphere (IRI) is the internationally recognized and recommended standard for the specification of plasma parameters in Earth’s ionosphere. It describes monthly averages of electron density, electron temperature, ion temperature, ion composition, and several additional parameters in the altitude range from 60 to 1,500 km. A joint working group of the Committee on Space Research (COSPAR) and the International Union of Radio Science (URSI) is in charge of developing and improving the IRI model. As requested by COSPAR and URSI, IRI is an empirical model being based on most of the available and reliable data sources for the ionospheric plasma. The paper describes the latest version of the model and reviews efforts towards future improvements, including the development of new global models for the F2 peak density and height, and a new approach to describe the electron density in the topside and plasmasphere. Our emphasis will be on the electron density because it is the IRI parameter most relevant to geodetic techniques and studies. Annual IRI meetings are the main venue for the discussion of IRI activities, future improvements, and additions to the model. A new special IRI task force activity is focusing on the development of a real-time IRI (RT-IRI) by combining data assimilation techniques with the IRI model. A first RT-IRI task force meeting was held in 2009 in Colorado Springs. We will review the outcome of this meeting and the plans for the future. The IRI homepage is at http://www.IRI.gsfc.nasa.gov.

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The international reference ionosphere today and in the future

Comparative analysis of TEC disturbances over tropical cyclone zones in the North–West Pacific Ocean

Vertical TEC representation by IRI 2012 and IRI Plas models for European midlatitudes

Precise knowledge of the Arctic ionosphere total electron content (TEC) and its variations has scientific relevance due to the unique characteristics of the polar ionosphere. Understanding the Arctic TEC is also important for precise positioning and navigation in the Arctic. This study utilized the spherical cap harmonic analysis (SCHA) method to map the Arctic TEC for the most recent solar cycle from 2000 to 2013 and analyzed the distributions and variations of the Arctic TEC at different temporal and spatial scales. Even with different ionosphere conditions during the solar cycle, the results showed that the existing International Global Navigation Satellite Systems Service stations are sufficient for mapping the Arctic TEC. The SCHA method provides adequate accuracy and resolution to analyze the spatiotemporal distributions and variations of the Arctic TEC under different ionosphere conditions and to track ionization patches in this polar region (e.g., the ionization event of 26 September 2011). The results derived from the SCHA model were compared to direct observations using the Super Dual Auroral Radar Network radar. The SCHA method is able to predict the TEC in the long and short terms. This paper presented a long-term prediction with a relative uncertainty of 75% for a latency of one solar cycle and a short-term prediction with errors of ±2.2 total electron content units (TECUs, 1 TECU = 1016 el m−2), ±3.8 TECU, and ±4.8 TECU for a latency of 1, 2, and 3 days, respectively. The SCHA is an effective method for mapping, predicting, and analyzing the Arctic TEC.

https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1002/2013JA019501

Spherical cap harmonic analysis of the Arctic ionospheric TEC for one solar cycle

Comparison of GPS based TEC measurements with the IRI-2012 model for the period of low to moderate solar activity (2009–2012) at the crest of equatorial anomaly in Indian region

R. B. Harris

Papers

Total electron content measurements in ionospheric physics

Erratum: Total electron content measurements in ionospheric physics (Advances in Space Research (2008) 42 (720-726))