The world-wide use of GPS satellites for navigation and positioning offers
a unique chance for permanent monitoring the total electron content (TEC) o
f the ionosphere on regional/global scale, Using permanent operating GPS gr
ound station networks (e.g. that from IGS) the derived TEC maps may contrib
ute to monitor the actual development of large scale structures in electron
content and their dynamics during ionospheric perturbations (e.g. www.kn.n
z.dlr.de/ --> Ionosphere Impact --> Storm). Based on GPS measurements at Eu
ropean IGS ground stations and subsequent TEC estimations and mapping, both
individual as well as common features of ionospheric storms shall be discu
ssed for the European ionosphere. The paper demonstrates the power of this
new GPS tool to detect and to study the dynamics of large-scale spatial str
uctures (e.g. ionospheric response of solar eclipse on I I August 1999). De
tected TEC- perturbations are closely related to space weather characterizi
ng quantities such as solar radio emission. solar wind and geomagnetic acti
vity indices. Due to close relationships between TEC and space weather para
meters a permanent space weather monitoring can help to control the ionosph
eric impact on operational navigation satellite systems, (C) 2001 Elsevier
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