Based on hourly averages of the total electron content (TEC), a regional model of the TEC was constructed. Annual averages calculated from monthly medians of the detrended TEC were used to estimate any trends in the TEC over the African low latitudes. A predominantly negative trend in the ionospheric TEC was observed in the vicinity of the dip equator.

Many studies carried out for model validation are realised under geomagnetically quiet conditions. For climatological models this is not an issue. But for models like NeQuick, which plays a crucial role in daily human activities, it has to be evaluated under different conditions. Our study, which is probably a preliminary study, shows the advantage of the ingestion of ionospheric data. Thus, through this technique, a model could be assessed regardless of the geomagnetic activity.

A series of interplanetary coronal mass ejections in the period 7–17 March 2012 caused geomagnetic storms that strongly affected the high-latitude ionosphere in the Northern and Southern Hemisphere. Interhemispheric comparison of GPS phase scintillation reveals commonalities as well as asymmetries, as a consequence of the coupling between the solar wind and magnetosphere. The interhemispheric asymmetries are primarily caused by the dawn-dusk component of the interplanetary magnetic field.