Solar EUV flux rate estimation during mid and strong flares from the ionospheric electron content response signature in GNSS observations

A simple and precise technique to measure the sudden Extreme Ultraviolet (EUV) radiation increase of the Sun, during mid and strong flares, has been formulated and demonstrated for the most active part of the last Solar Cycle. On the one hand, it is based on the short time scale of these events, which allows the validity of a simple global overionization model. And on the other hand on the prompt ionospheric response to the EUV ionization, which signature (in terms of the Global Navigation Satellite Systems -GNSSSolar Flare Activity Indicator, GSFLAI) is accurately measured in real-time from the existing global networks of dual-frequency GNSS receivers, and with a time resolution higher that those of dedicated space probes. Moreover the sensitivity of this approach enables the detection of not only extreme X-class flares, but also the detection of variations of one order of magnitude lower or even smaller (such as for M-class flares): 100% successful detection for all the X-class solar flares during 2000-2006 with registered location outside of the solar limb (i.e. detection of 94% of all of X-class solar-flares) and about 65% for M-class ones, obtained with the associated SISTED detector. In summary, its full availability, continuity, high precision and integrity for mid and high solar flare effects on Ionosphere, can make GSFLAI an useful indicator of potential Space Weather activity for many users in radio propagation. These results, which have been recently published by the authors, are extended in this work up to one complete solar cycle, and using a lower sampling rate (30 seconds), demonstrating the better behaviour of this indirect solar EUV variability proxy (GSFLAI30), when comparisons are made with direct measurements from space probes, providing readings which can be affected by the late enhancement of particles.