Characteristics of Total Electron Content (TEC) observed from a chain of stations near the northern crest of the Equatorial Ionization Anomaly (EIA) along 88.5°E meridian in India

•GPS campaign conducted during 2011–12 equinoxes from 3 stations along 88.5°E.•VTEC was examined during 10–17 UT for elevation greater than 20°.•Confinement of periodic structures in TEC before bite out in 20.00 °N to 28.00 °N.

The equatorial ionosphere presents some of the highest TEC values in the world coupled with observations of periodic structures. Total Electron Content (TEC) and scintillation data were analyzed from a chain of stations Calcutta (22.58°N, 88.38°E geographic; 32°N magnetic dip), Baharampore (24.09°N, 88.25°E geographic; 35°N magnetic dip) and Farakka (24.79°N, 87.89°E geographic; 36.04°N magnetic dip) situated almost same meridian (88.5°E) during September 2011 and March–April 2012 for elevation greater than 20° so that the ionosphere can be tracked from the 15.50°N south of Calcutta to 31.80°N north of Farakka. Periodic variation of TEC was noticed before TEC bite out, predominantly within a particular latitudinal swath (19°N ‒26°N) along 88.5°E meridian. No periodic structures were observed over the magnetic equator during the observation period on ionosonde records from the magnetic equator station Trivandrum and COSMIC, GRACE and C/NOFS electron density measurements. The present paper reports, perhaps for the first time from the Indian longitude sector, confinement of such periodic structures in TEC primarily within a latitude swath of 19.00–26.00 °N almost along the same longitude of 88.5 °E.