GPS scintillations in the high latitudes during periods of dayside and nightside reconnection

We use an automated procedure to identify periods of enhanced dayside reconnection followed by enhanced nightside reconnection in measurements of the polar cap size by the Active Magnetosphere and Planetary Electrodynamics Response Experiment between January 2010 and December 2012; we find 490 such events. We investigate the dynamics of the spatial distributions of the total electron content (TEC) and phase scintillations of Global Positioning System (GPS) signals across the northern polar region and here report three important findings: (1) While a TEC enhancement (due to polar cap patches) propagates across the polar cap during these events, this enhancement is not associated with significant GPS phase scintillations. (2) Instead, a significant impact on GPS signal quality is first found when the TEC enhancements cross the nightside auroral boundary. (3) In combination with upward field‐aligned currents, these TEC enhancements cause the strongest GPS phase scintillations. We conclude that polar cap patches are not, as previously thought, a space weather threat inside the polar cap but instead reveal their biggest impact once they reach the nightside auroral oval, in particular when combined with upward field‐aligned currents. Key Points During polar cap expansion/contraction, TEC enhancements cross the polar cap Inside the polar cap, they are not associated with GPS scintillations Once they enter the auroral oval, they cause significant GPS scintillations