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Title: Evaluating the geomagnetic response to the May 2024 super storm – observations and interpretations
On 10 May 2024, a series of coronal mass ejections were detected at Earth followed by one of the most powerful geomagnetic storms since November 2003. Leveraging a multi–technique approach, this paper provides an account of the ground geomagnetic response during the 10–11 May 2024 extreme geomagnetic storm. More specifically, we show that at the mid-latitudes in the American sector, the storm produced extreme ground geomagnetic field perturbations between 01:50 UT and 02:30 UT on 11 May. Then using the Spherical Elementary Current System method, it is shown that the perturbations were associated with an intense westward propagating auroral westward electrojet current. Finally, with the aid of auroral all-sky images from the Missouri Skies Observatory, we demonstrate that an intense isolated substorm event with onset located between the Great Lakes region and the East Coast United States was the main source of the extreme westward electrojet current and the geomagnetic field perturbations at these typical mid-latitude locations. This study emphasizes the increased risk associated with expansion of the auroral oval into the mid-latitudes during extreme geomagnetic activity. more »« less
Foster, J C; Erickson, P J; Nishimura, Y; Zhang, S R; Bush, D C; Coster, A J; Meade, P E; Franco‐Diaz, E
(, Geophysical Research Letters)
Yau, Andrew
(Ed.)
The continental United States is well instrumented with facilities for mid‐latitude upper atmosphere research that operate on a continuous basis. In addition, citizen scientists provide a wealth of information when unusual events occur. We combine ionospheric total electron content (TEC) data from distributed arrays of GNSS receivers, magnetometer chains, and auroral observations obtained by citizen scientists, to provide a detailed view of the intense auroral breakup and westward surge occurring at the peak of the 10–11 May 2024 extreme geomagnetic storm. Over a 20‐min interval, vertical TEC (vTEC) increased at unusually low latitude (∼45°) and rapidly expanded azimuthally across the continent. Individual receiver/satellite data sets indicate sharp bursts of greatly elevated of vTEC (∼50 TECu). Intense red aurora was co‐located with the leading edge of the equatorward and westward TEC enhancements, indicating that the large TEC enhancement was created by extremely intense low‐energy precipitation during the rapid substorm breakup.
Grandin, Maxime; Bruus, Emma; Ledvina, Vincent E; Partamies, Noora; Barthelemy, Mathieu; Martinis, Carlos; Dayton-Oxland, Rowan; Gallardo-Lacourt, Bea; Nishimura, Yukitoshi; Herlingshaw, Katie; et al
(, Geoscience Communication)
Abstract. The 10 May 2024 geomagnetic storm, referred to as the Gannon Storm in this paper, was one of the most extreme to have occurred in over 20 years. In the era of smartphones and social media, millions of people from all around the world were alerted to the possibility of exceptional auroral displays. Hence, many people not only witnessed but also photographed the aurora during this event. These citizen science observations, although not from scientific instruments operated by observatories or research groups, can prove to be invaluable in obtaining data to characterise this extraordinary event. In particular, many observers saw and photographed the aurora at mid-latitudes, where ground-based instruments targeting auroral studies are sparse or absent. Moreover, the proximity of the event to the Northern Hemisphere summer solstice meant that many optical instruments were not in operation due to the lack of suitably dark conditions. We created an online survey and circulated it within networks of aurora photographers to collect observations of the aurora and of disruptions in technological systems that were experienced during this superstorm. We obtained 696 citizen science reports from over 30 countries, containing information such as the time and location of aurora sightings and the observed colours and auroral forms, as well as geolocalisation, network, and power disruptions noticed during the geomagnetic storm. We supplemented the obtained dataset with 186 auroral observations logged in the Skywarden catalogue (https://taivaanvahti.fi, last access: 19 December 2024) by citizen scientists. The main findings enabled by the data collected through these reports are that the aurora was widely seen from locations at geomagnetic latitudes ranging between 30 and 60°, with a few reports from even lower latitudes. This was significantly further equatorward than predicted by auroral oval models. The reported auroral emission colours, predominantly red and pink and intense enough to reach naked-eye visibility, suggest that the auroral electron precipitation contained large fluxes of low-energy (< 1 keV) particles. This study also reveals the limitations of citizen science data collection via a rudimentary online form. We discuss possible solutions to enable more detailed and quantitative studies of extreme geomagnetic events with citizen science in the future.
Milan, S E; Bower, G E; Fleetham, A L; Imber, S M; Schillings, A; Opgenoorth, H; Gjerloev, J; Paxton, L J; Vines, S K; Hubert, B; et al
(, Journal of Geophysical Research: Space Physics)
Abstract A necessary condition for the generation of Geomagnetically Induced Currents (GICs) that can pose hazards for technological infrastructure is the occurrence of large, rapid changes in the magnetic field at the surface of the Earth. We investigate the causes of such events or “spikes” observed by SuperMAG at auroral latitudes, by comparing with the time‐series of different types of geomagnetic activity for the duration of 2010. Spikes are found to occur predominantly in the pre‐midnight and dawn sectors. We find that pre‐midnight spikes are associated with substorm onsets. Dawn sector spikes are not directly associated with substorms, but with auroral activity occurring within the westward electrojet region. Azimuthally‐spaced auroral features drift sunwards, producing Ps6 (10–20 min period) magnetic perturbations on the ground. The magnitude of is determined by the flow speed in the convection return flow region, which in turn is related to the strength of solar wind‐magnetospheric coupling. Pre‐midnight and dawn sector spikes can occur at the same time, as strong coupling favors both substorms and westward electrojet activity; however, the mechanisms that create them seem somewhat independent. The dawn auroral features share some characteristics with omega bands, but can also appear as north‐south aligned auroral streamers. We suggest that these two phenomena share a single underlying cause. The associated fluctuations in the westward electrojet produce quasi‐periodic negative excursions in the AL index, which can be mis‐identified as recurrent substorm intensifications.
Abstract Recent observations show very near‐Earth reconnection (∼8–13RE) could efficiently power the ring current during the main phase of geomagnetic storms, but whether the recovery phase might be contributed remains unclear. During the recovery phase of the May 2024 major geomagnetic storm, intense auroral brightening and geomagnetic disturbances were observed at midnight, indicative of particle injections. Current wedges observed by mid‐latitude ground magnetometers around midnight suggest dipolarizing flux bundles (DFBs). The latitude of the auroral brightening was clearly lower than usual, suggesting near‐Earth reconnection (NERX) was closer to Earth than during substorms (∼20–30RE). GOES‐18 at midnight detected magnetic field and plasma signatures consistent with DFBs, following an extremely thin current sheet likely compressed by strong upstream dynamic pressure. These results indicate NERX could have been close enough for resultant DFBs to penetrate geosynchronous orbit and contribute to the ring current during the recovery phase. This scenario deserves further examination in future.
Waghule, Bhagyashree; Knipp, D_J; Gannon, J_L; Billet, D.; Vines, S_K; Goldstein, J.
(, Space Weather)
Abstract We combine wavelet analysis and data fusion to investigate geomagnetically induced currents (GICs) on the Mäntsälä pipeline and the associated horizontal geomagnetic field, BH, variations during the late main phase of the 17 March 2013 geomagnetic storm. The wavelet analysis decomposes the GIC and BH signals at increasing “scales” to show distinct multi‐minute spectral features around the GIC spikes. Four GIC spikes >10 A occurred while the pipeline was in the dusk sector—the first sine‐wave‐like spike at ∼16 UT was “compound.” It was followed by three “self‐similar” spikes 2 hr later. The contemporaneous multi‐resolution observations from ground‐(magnetometer, SuperMAG, SuperDARN), and space‐based (AMPERE, Two Wide‐Angle Imaging Neutral‐atom Spectrometers) platforms capture multi‐scale activity to reveal two magnetospheric modes causing the spikes. The GIC at ∼16 UT occurred in two parts with the negative spike associated with a transient sub‐auroral eastward electrojet that closed a developing partial ring current loop, whereas the positive spike developed with the arrival of the associated mesoscale flow‐channel in the auroral zone. The three spikes between 18 and 19 UT were due to bursty bulk flows (BBFs). We attribute all spikes to flow‐channel injections (substorms) of varying scales. We use previously published MHD simulations of the event to substantiate our conclusions, given the dearth of timely in‐situ satellite observations. Our results show that multi‐scale magnetosphere‐ionosphere activity that drives GICs can be understood using multi‐resolution analysis. This new framework of combining wavelet analysis with multi‐platform observations opens a research avenue for GIC investigations and other space weather impacts.
Ngwira, Chigomezyo M, Nishimura, Yukitoshi, Weygand, James M, Landwer, Lois J, Bush, Daniel C, Foster, John C, and Erickson, Philip J. Evaluating the geomagnetic response to the May 2024 super storm – observations and interpretations. Retrieved from https://par.nsf.gov/biblio/10644767. Frontiers in Astronomy and Space Sciences 12.1652705 Web. doi:10.3389/fspas.2025.1652705.
Ngwira, Chigomezyo M, Nishimura, Yukitoshi, Weygand, James M, Landwer, Lois J, Bush, Daniel C, Foster, John C, & Erickson, Philip J. Evaluating the geomagnetic response to the May 2024 super storm – observations and interpretations. Frontiers in Astronomy and Space Sciences, 12 (1652705). Retrieved from https://par.nsf.gov/biblio/10644767. https://doi.org/10.3389/fspas.2025.1652705
Ngwira, Chigomezyo M, Nishimura, Yukitoshi, Weygand, James M, Landwer, Lois J, Bush, Daniel C, Foster, John C, and Erickson, Philip J.
"Evaluating the geomagnetic response to the May 2024 super storm – observations and interpretations". Frontiers in Astronomy and Space Sciences 12 (1652705). Country unknown/Code not available: Frontiers in Astronomy and Space Sciences. https://doi.org/10.3389/fspas.2025.1652705.https://par.nsf.gov/biblio/10644767.
@article{osti_10644767,
place = {Country unknown/Code not available},
title = {Evaluating the geomagnetic response to the May 2024 super storm – observations and interpretations},
url = {https://par.nsf.gov/biblio/10644767},
DOI = {10.3389/fspas.2025.1652705},
abstractNote = {On 10 May 2024, a series of coronal mass ejections were detected at Earth followed by one of the most powerful geomagnetic storms since November 2003. Leveraging a multi–technique approach, this paper provides an account of the ground geomagnetic response during the 10–11 May 2024 extreme geomagnetic storm. More specifically, we show that at the mid-latitudes in the American sector, the storm produced extreme ground geomagnetic field perturbations between 01:50 UT and 02:30 UT on 11 May. Then using the Spherical Elementary Current System method, it is shown that the perturbations were associated with an intense westward propagating auroral westward electrojet current. Finally, with the aid of auroral all-sky images from the Missouri Skies Observatory, we demonstrate that an intense isolated substorm event with onset located between the Great Lakes region and the East Coast United States was the main source of the extreme westward electrojet current and the geomagnetic field perturbations at these typical mid-latitude locations. This study emphasizes the increased risk associated with expansion of the auroral oval into the mid-latitudes during extreme geomagnetic activity.},
journal = {Frontiers in Astronomy and Space Sciences},
volume = {12},
number = {1652705},
publisher = {Frontiers in Astronomy and Space Sciences},
author = {Ngwira, Chigomezyo M and Nishimura, Yukitoshi and Weygand, James M and Landwer, Lois J and Bush, Daniel C and Foster, John C and Erickson, Philip J},
}
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