Ionospheric scintillations can affect the Global Navigation Satellite System’s (GNSS) signals by disrupting the radio waves as they travel through the upper atmosphere. Space weather events are known to cause variations in the total electron content (TEC) of the ionosphere in high and low latitude regions, leading to these scintillations. However, the extent to which these scintillations occur in the mid-latitude region and their causes is under-examined. The goal of our research is to better analyze disruptions to ground-based receivers and GNSS signals by determining whether lightning strikes cause ionospheric scintillations and other interferences with GNSS satellites. As the lightning capital of the world, Florida is an ideal place to record a large data set of thunderstorms. Using high rate (50Hz) multi constellation GNSS receivers at Daytona Beach, FL on the Embry-Riddle University campus, we parse and filter the scintillation data to obtain signal phase and amplitude fluctuations that are coincident with thunderstorms. For finding spatial correlation we compare ionospheric pierce points (IPP) of the satellites on which we observed fluctuations with a data set of lightning strikes and their coordinates, type, and peak current. After analysis of approx. 185+ hours of thunderstorm data, we have observed power drops which are most likely interference at the receiver end associated with lightning. We observed drops in the power of GNSS data on almost all visible satellite signals during the thunderstorms and we are further investigating anomalous peaks/ drops in power which are not visible on all available satellites--possibly related to more localized events. If a direct relationship is found between thunderstorms and scintillation, it would provide a better understanding of tropospheric effects on the ionosphere, besides assisting in improving the reliability of GPS receivers
