DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.18751109
title: QSL GNSS VTEC climatology over Oukaïmeden (OUCA), Morocco (2015–2025): daily + 30-min bins (MS/WLS)

description: This dataset accompanies the manuscript “Quiet-Solar-Low (QSL) GNSS-based VTEC climatology over Oukaïmeden (Morocco) across the Solar Cycle 24–25 transition” (Kaab et al., submitted to Advances in Space Research). It provides derived GNSS-based vertical total electron content (VTEC) products for the OUCA station near Oukaïmeden, Morocco (station coordinates: 31.206°N, 7.866°W), spanning October 2015 to September 2025, together with daily receiver inter-frequency code-bias estimates and pipeline quality-control diagnostics.

Two independent single-station receiver-bias strategies are included:(i) minimum-scalloping (MS) (reference solution used to build the main climatology), and(ii) geometry-weighted least squares (WLS) (independent solution used for internal robustness checks and supplementary diagnostics).

Quiet-Solar-Low day selection (QSL–GIM20): the dataset contains all required fields to reproduce the joint selection used in the analysis, combining (1) geomagnetic quietness from the GFZ/ISGI International Quiet and Disturbed Days (IQD) classification (quiet days labeled “Q”), (2) low solar forcing based on the effective solar flux proxy F10.7eff=(F10.7+F10.7A)/2F_{10.7}^{eff}=(F_{10.7}+F_{10.7A})/2F10.7eff=(F10.7+F10.7A)/2 with F10.7AF_{10.7A}F10.7A the 81-day trailing mean, and (3) a conservative coherence gate with CODE Global Ionosphere Maps (GIM), ∣ΔVTEC∣≤20|\Delta \mathrm{VTEC}|\le 20∣ΔVTEC∣≤20 TECU where ΔVTEC=median(VTEClocal−VTECGIM)\Delta \mathrm{VTEC}=\mathrm{median}(\mathrm{VTEC}_{local}-\mathrm{VTEC}_{GIM})ΔVTEC=median(VTEClocal−VTECGIM).

Files



daily_stats_MS_enriched_vf.csv — Daily station-level VTEC statistics (median/mean/min/max/IQR/std), receiver bias DrxD_{rx}Drx (meters), solar/geomagnetic indices (F10.7, Kp, Ap, Dst, sunspot number), and GIM comparison metrics for the MS solution.

daily_stats_WLS_enriched_vf.csv — Same daily statistics for the WLS solution.

bins30_MS_with_gim.csv — 30-min binned station VTEC time series for the MS solution, including VTEC median/mean/IQR and co-located CODE GIM VTEC.

bins30_WLS_with_gim.csv — Same 30-min binned time series for the WLS solution.

drx_compare.csv — Daily receiver-bias comparison table including DrxWLSD_{rx}^{WLS}DrxWLS, DrxMSD_{rx}^{MS}DrxMS, and ΔDrx=DrxMS−DrxWLS\Delta D_{rx}=D_{rx}^{MS}-D_{rx}^{WLS}ΔDrx=DrxMS−DrxWLS (meters), plus auxiliary geometry/quality indicators (number of observations, mean satellite count, MS score, MS grid step).

qc_daily_enriched_vf.csv — Daily pipeline QA/QC summary (row counts, satellite/epoch coverage, bias-estimation pass counts, availability of 30-min bins, indices used, and IQD quiet/disturbed labels).


Column conventions and units



Times are in UTC (ISO 8601; timezone-aware strings where applicable).

VTEC is in TECU.

Receiver bias DrxD_{rx}Drx and ΔDrx\Delta D_{rx}ΔDrx are in meters.

The 30-min files contain: date_utc, time, VTEC_median, VTEC_mean, VTEC_q25, VTEC_q75, N, vtec_gim.

The daily files include f107_eff, solar_label, and geomag_label_gfz_QDNQ to reproduce the QSL–GIM20 selection, as well as gim_offset_tecu and offset_flag_abs_ge_20.


These are derived products. Raw GNSS observation/navigation data and external indices (F10.7, Kp/Dst, CODE GIM, IQD lists) should be obtained from their respective official providers; this archive focuses on the processed station products used in the manuscript figures and tables.