Comparative Analysis for the Seasonal Variations of the IF2 and T Ionospheric Indices during Solar Cycles 23 and 24

In this work, a comparative analysis for the behavior and pattern of the variations of the IF2 and T Ionospheric indices was conducted for the minimum and maximum years of solar cycles 23 and 24. Also, the correlative relationship between the two ionospheric indices was examined for the seasonal periods spanning from August 1996 to November 2008 for solar cycle 23 and from December 2008 to November 2019 for solar cycle 24. Statistical calculations were performed to compare predicted values with observed values for the selected indices during the tested timeframes. The study's findings revealed that the behavior of the examined indices exhibited almost similar variations throughout the studied timeframe. The seasonal variations were adopted to examine the cross-correlation between the studied indices. The seasonal correlation between tested indices demonstrated that the two indices are highly correlated to each other, with determination coefficient (R2) values ranging from 0.991 to 0.998 during solar cycle 23 and from 0.996 to 0.998 during solar cycle 24. Furthermore, the results of the comparative analytical study revealed that the mathematical correlation equation between the tested indices could be described as a first-order polynomial equation. The proposed mathematical correlation formula for these two indices exhibited a high level of accuracy and good fit between observed values and generated datasets for all seasons during both solar cycles 23 and 24.