SAIP2026

Occurrence of Ionospheric scintillation during the Ascending phase of solar cycle 25

7 Jul 2026, 09:30

20m

Lecture Hall C3 (University of the Western Cape)

Oral Presentation Track D - Astrophysics & Space Science Astrophysics & Space Science

Speaker

Tshimangadzo M. Matamba (South African National Space Agency (SANSA))

Description

The South African National Space Agency (SANSA) global navigation satellite systems (GNSS) receivers are used to study the ionospheric scintillation over Africa during the ascending phase of solar cycle 25 for the years 2020 to 2025. The amplitude (S4) scintillation is characterized for receivers located in South Africa, Zambia, Kenya, Uganda and Nigeria. The statistics of S4 indicate that in years near the solar maximum, the occurrence of moderate to strong scintillation (S4 > 0.4) increases as compared with the solar minimum. The number of cases of moderate to strong scintillation is very low for South Africa in all years and for Zambia in 2021. The occurrence of moderate to strong scintillation in the Zambia receiver occurs only during the years of higher solar activity. For Uganda and Kenya, the moderate to strong scintillation is significant for most years. For Nigeria, the scintillation does not vary over the years.