TEC variation during high and low solar activities over South American sector

Using dual frequency GPS receivers in the South American sector, the measurement of absolute ionospheric Total Electron Content (TEC) has been estimated applying the Nagoya ionospheric model for both the years of 2009 and 2001, which represent low and high solar activities, respectively. The diurnal, day-to-day, monthly, seasonal, latitudinal and longitudinal variations of TEC were studied for equatorial and low latitude regions of South America. The strength and characteristics of the Equatorial Ionization Anomaly (EIA) were equally analyzed. The analyses reveal the diurnal, seasonal and semidiurnal TEC variation, as well as the nighttime variability during the low and high solar activities. Wavelet power spectra analysis was employed to check the periodicities of the TEC data, F10.7 and zonal and meridional wind velocities measured by Meteor radar at ∼100 km altitude. Periods such as 27, 16, 8-10, 1-5 days were found to be dominant in the zonal and meridional wind velocity corresponding with those of TEC periodicities. Hence, besides the solar radiation, we suggest that there are contributions of tides and planetary waves in spatial and temporal TEC enhancement and variations during the geomagnetic quiet periods of both solar activities.