Scientists have warned that "perplexing" electrical activity in the ionosphere, caused by disruptive clouds of electrons and other electrically charged particles, can interfere with signals from GPS satellites.

A group of scientific reports detailing this phenomenon have been published in a special section of Space Weather.

One team of researchers has observed Earth's aurora, a prominent manifestation of ionospheric electrical activity, in the act of disrupting GPS equipment.

Other scientists have successfully tested a way to forecast GPS disturbances for marine users, with a likely extension to land-based users.

Space Weather reported that other research groups are turning the tables and employing GPS receivers as tools to conduct basic research on the electrical-current structures of the ionosphere.