Tids Detection from Ship-Based GNSS Receiver: First Test on 2010 Maule Tsunami

The VARION (Variometric Approach for Real-Time Ionosphere Observation) algorithm has been successfully applied several times to TIDs (Travelling ionospheric disturbances) detection in a real-time scenario. VARION is, thus, able to estimate sTEC variations in real time and it can be applied on ship-based GNSS receiver since it is based on geometry free combination: the receiver motion does not affect the sTEC estimation process. This work is a feasibility study on the possibility to use data from ship-based GNSS receiver to detect TIDs. In particular, data of the February 27, 2010, M
_W
8.8 Chilean (Maule) earthquake and tsunami were analysed. The preliminary results show that the same TIDs are detected both from the sea (ships) and land. In conclusion, ship-based GNSS receivers could represent a real-time and cost-effective tool to enhance tsunami early warning systems, without requiring the installation of complex infrastructures in open sea.