GPS L-band scintillations and ionospheric irregularity zonal drifts inferred at equatorial and low-latitude regions

The main scientific objective of this research is to study the spatial variability and dynamics of the F-region irregularities. To achieve this, amplitude scintillations at the L-band, total electron content (TEC) and irregularity drifts were measured, as part of the Conjugate Point Equatorial Experiment (COPEX) campaign, by a network of ground-based global positioning system (GPS) receivers. The observations reveal a strong variability in the evolution of the irregularities from the equator to low-latitudes, and their zonal velocities at conjugate sites present a decrease with local time, and also with latitude. Moreover, the scintillations appear to be correlated with strong TEC gradients in the equatorward edge of the enhanced equatorial anomaly peaks. Other relevant aspects of the observations are highlighted and discussed.