A Modelling study of equatorial and low latitude ionosphere around 95° E during the deep solar minimum 2009-2010 using SAMI2 model

The extremely low solar activity during the solar cycle 23/24 provides an unprecedented opportunity to understand the variability of Earth's ambient ionosphere. SAMI2 (Sami2 is another model of the ionosphere) model is simulated during the extended solar minimum period July 2009 - May 2010 and the simulated data is compared with the quiet time TEC observations from a chain of GPS stations around 95°E meridian. GPS TEC data from Dibrugarh (27.5°N, 95°E, 43° dip), Kunming (25.02°N, 102.7°E, 38° dip), Havelock Island (12.02°N, 92.98°E, 11° dip) and Cocos Islands (12.2°S, 96.8°E, 43° dip) are used for this study. Comparison with the model reveals that there are significant deviations between the observed and simulated TEC is noticed depending upon the station and season.