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.

An understanding of the development of strong very low frequency chorus elements is important in the study of the rapid MeV electron acceleration observed during radiation belt recovery events. During such events, chorus elements with long-duration (20–40 ms), strong (|Bw| 0.5–2.0 nT) subpackets with smoothly varying frequency and phase capable of producing nonlinear energy gain of 1%–2% for multi-MeV seed electrons. For such strong chorus elements, we examine the consequences of an upstream motion of the chorus wave generation region using Van Allen Probes observations and nonlinear theory. For a given upstream velocity, vs, resonant electron energy (50–350 keV) and pitch angle (105–115 deg) are uniquely determined for each wave frequency. We examine the effect of an upstream vs on the inhomogeneity factor that controls wave growth. For steadily increasing upstream motion as the chorus element evolves, vs/c ranging over [-0.001, −0.065], nonlinear wave growth takes place at ≥ 50% of the theoretical maximal value during the development of the observed strong subpackets. For the cases examined, resonant electron energies and pitch angles closely match those of the observed injected electron flux enhancements responsible for chorus development and the nonlinear acceleration of MeV radiation belt electrons.

A train of large-scale polar cap patches was observed in the ionosphere during a period of southward interplanetary magnetic field (IMF) during the main phase of a moderate geomagnetic storm. The patches were sequentially detached from a dayside storm enhanced density plume through cusp dynamics due to pulsed enhancement of the dayside magnetic reconnection rate, suggested by the increase of the Kan-Lee electric field and cross polar cap potential. After formation and IMF By duskward turning, the patches propagated obliquely like "waves" in the polar cap toward the dusk sector, and exited the polar cap over a wide magnetic local time (MLT) region (18-24 MLT). Simulations under a strongly southward IMF Bz and duskward IMF By show that the magnetotail magnetic reconnection occurs over a broad MLT range. Such a tail reconnection modulates the evolution of the patches.

AbstractThe 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.

Nonlinear processes are involved in both the growth of VLF chorus waves and the energization of radiation belt electrons trapped in the wave potential. Nonlinear theory has led to analytic formulae describing both these processes. To investigate these processes, observations from the Van Allen Probes twin spacecraft provide simultaneous in situ information on VLF chorus waves, radiation belt and injected electrons, and local plasma parameters. We combine the theoretical treatment summarized by Omura (2021) with these in situ observations to investigate the characteristics and effects of nonlinear radiation belt processes at the off-equatorial location of the spacecraft observations. We show the smooth phase transition between initial subpackets of chorus wave elements, conducive to extended trapping and enhancement of resonant electrons. The structure of the chorus wave element changes as it propagates away from the equator. Frequency dispersion due to the variation of parallel wave group velocity with frequency contributes to the chorus waveform frequency sweep rate observed at an off-equatorial location. Nonlinear damping at the local value of ½ fce progressively erodes wave amplitude at frequencies above ½ fceEQ. We examine the important dependencies of the nonlinear inhomogeneity factor on the time rate of change of the wave frequency and the field-aligned gradient of the magnetic field and discuss their implication for the energization of trapped non-relativistic and MeV electrons. The 0.5–2% energy gain we find for 3–6 MeV seed electrons indicates that prompt local acceleration of highly relativistic and ultra-relativistic radiation belt electrons can take place directly through their nonlinear interaction with an individual VLF chorus wave element.

The Van Allen Probes Electric Fields and Waves (EFW) instrument provided measurements of electric fields and spacecraft floating potentials over a wide dynamic range from DC to 6.5 kHz near the equatorial plane of the inner magnetosphere between 600 km altitude and 5.8 Re geocentric distance from October 2012 to November 2019. The two identical instruments provided data to investigate the quasi-static and low frequency fields that drive large-scale convection, waves induced by interplanetary shock impacts that result in rapid relativistic particle energization, ultra-low frequency (ULF) MHD waves which can drive radial diffusion, and higher frequency wave fields and time domain structures that provide particle pitch angle scattering and energization. In addition, measurements of the spacecraft potential provided a density estimate in cold plasmas ( <20 eV ) from 10 to 3000 cm^-3 . The EFW instrument provided analog electric field signals to EMFISIS for wave analysis, and it received 3d analog signals from the EMFISIS search coil sensors for inclusion in high time resolution waveform data. The electric fields and potentials were measured by current-biased spherical sensors deployed at the end of four 50 m booms in the spacecraft spin plane (spin period ∼11 sec ) and a pair of stacer booms with a total tip-tip separation of 15 m along the spin axis. Survey waveform measurements at 16 and/or 32 S/sec (with a nominal uncertainty of 0.3 mV/m over the prime mission) were available continuously while burst waveform captures at up to 16,384 S/sec provided high frequency waveforms. This post-mission paper provides the reader with information useful for accessing, understanding and using EFW data. Selected science results are discussed and used to highlight instrument capabilities. Science quantities, data quality and error sources, and analysis routines are documented.

Earth’s ecosystems and human activities are threatened by a broad spectrum of hazards of major importance for the safety of ground infrastructures, space systems and space flight: solar activity, earthquakes, atmospheric and climatic disturbances, changes in the geomagnetic field, fluctuations of the global electric circuit. Monitoring and understanding these major hazards to better predict and mitigate their effects is one of the greatest scientific and operational challenges of the 21 st century.Though diverse, these hazards share one feature in common: they all leave their characteristic imprints on a critical layer of the Earth’s environment: its ionosphere, middle and upper atmosphere(IMUA). The objective of the International Meridian Circle Program(IMCP), a major international program led by the Chines Academy of Sciences(CAS), is to deploy, integrate and operate a global network of research and monitoring instruments to use the IMUA as a screen on which to detect these imprints.In this article, we first show that the geometry required for the IMCP global observation system leads to a deployment of instruments in priority along the 120°E–60°W great meridian circle, which will cover in an optimal way both the dominant geographic and geomagnetic latitude variations, possibly complemented by a second Great Circle along the 30°E–150°W meridians to capture longitude variations. Then, starting from the Chinese Meridian Project(CMP) network and using it as a template, we give a preliminary and promising description of the instruments to be integrated and deployed along the 120°E–60°W great circle running across China, Australia and the Americas.

In the polar cap region, high-density ionospheric structures, such as the large-scale tongue-of-ionization and mesoscale polar cap patches, are frequently observed, which are of significant space weather concerns. In this chapter, recent progress on these polar cap high-density ionospheric structures is reviewed with an emphasis on the polar cap patch. Topics include the statistical occurrence rate of patches, plasma structure and characteristics inside patches, dynamic horizontal and vertical transport of high-density ionospheric structures, as well as the mechanisms and variability of optical patch emissions. For each topic, future works are envisioned following the progress reviews.

The geospace plume couples the ionosphere, plasmasphere, and magnetosphere from sub-auroral regions to the magnetopause, on polar field lines, and into the magnetotail. We describe Van Allen Probes observations of ionospheric O+ ions at altitudes of 3–6 R E in the near vicinity of the geospace plume in the noon and post-noon sector. The temporal variation of warm ion fluxes observed as a function of time on a moving spacecraft is complicated by changing spacecraft position and complex ion drift paths and velocities that are highly sensitive to ion energy, pitch angle and L value. In the “notch” region of lower density plasma outside the morning-side plasmapause, bi-directionally field aligned fluxes of lower energy (<5 keV) ions, following corotation-dominated drift trajectories from the midnight sector, are excluded from geospace plume field lines as they are deflected sunward in the plume flow channel. In general, O+ at ring current energies (∼10 keV) is bi-directionally field aligned on plume field lines, while lower energy O + (<3 keV) are absent. The observation of ion plumes with energies increasing from ∼1 keV–>20 keV in the dusk sector outer plasmasphere is interpreted as evidence for localized ionospheric O+ outflow at the outer edge of the geospace plume with subsequent O+ acceleration to >50 keV in <30 min during the ions’ sunward drift.

Large-scale dayside increases in ionospheric density and total electron content (TEC) are observed at low, mid, and auroral latitudes in the early stages of geomagnetic storms. TEC increases as disturbance electric fields and neutral winds uplift the F region into a region of reduced recombination. Advection carries nightside plasma across the sunset terminator and draws out plumes of storm-enhanced density (SED plumes) that stretch from the dusk sector to the noontime cusp ionosphere. The SED plume cannot be considered in isolation from other disturbance effects since it is a part of the more widespread interconnected geospace system response to solar-wind forcing. This focused review addresses the history and current understanding of the SED plume and its role in the redistribution of ionosphere plasma in the geospace system.

随着科技发展,人类活动对地面基础设施、空间系统和太空飞行器等高科技设施的依赖性日益增强.然而,这些高科技设施却常常遭受着来自太阳活动、地震、大气和气候变化、地磁场变化,以及全球电场波动等多种危害的威胁.监测和了解这些危害,并减轻其影响,是21世纪重要的科学挑战之一.这些危害尽管形式不同,但是有一个共同之处是会在电离层和中高层大气这个地球空间环境的关键圈层留下自己的印记.国际子午圈计划是一项由中国科学院牵头的国际大科学计划,其目标是整合、部署和运行一个全球研究和监测网络,充分利用电离层和中高层大气的"显示屏"效果来追踪这些日地空间危害的踪迹.文章展示了国际子午圈计划全球观测系统所需的位置分布,即优先沿120°E～60°W大子午圈部署监测设备,实现对主要地理和地磁纬度变化的最佳覆盖,继而辅之以30°E～150°W的第二个子午圈来捕捉经度变化.而后简单地描述了中国子午工程,以及横跨中国、俄罗斯和美洲的一些国家在内的120°E～60°W大子午圈上的监测台站和设备.

Van Allen Probes in situ observations are used to examine detailed subpacket structure observed in strong VLF (very low frequency) rising-tone chorus elements observed at the time of a rapid MeV electron energization in the inner magnetosphere. Analysis of the frequency gap between lower and upper chorus-band waves identifies fceEQ, the electron gyrofrequency in the equatorial wave generation region. Initial subpackets in these strong chorus rising-tone elements begin at a frequency near 1/4 fceEQ and exhibit smooth gradual frequency increase across their > 10 ms temporal duration. A second much stronger subpacket is seen at frequencies around the local value of 1/4 fce with small wave normal angle (< 10°) and steeply rising df/dt. Smooth frequency and phase variation across and between the initial subpackets support continuous phase trapping of resonant electrons and increased potential for MeV electron acceleration. The total energy gain for individual seed electrons with energies between 100 keV and 3 MeV ranges between 2 and 15%, in their nonlinear interaction with a single chorus element.

The Relativistic Electron-Proton Telescope (REPT) instruments were designed to measure ∼2 to >18 MeV electrons and ∼18 to > 115 MeV protons as part of the science payloads onboard the dual Radiation Belt Storm Probes (RBSP) spacecraft. The REPT instruments were turned on and configured in their science acquisition modes about 2 days after the RBSP launch on 30 August 2012. The REPT-A and REPT-B instruments both operated flawlessly until mission cessation in 2019. This paper reviews briefly the REPT instrument designs, their operational performance, relevant mode changes and trending over the course of the mission, as well as pertinent background effects (and recommended corrections). A substantial part of this paper highlights discoveries and significant advancement of our understanding of physical-processes obtained using REPT data. We do this for energetic electrons primarily in the outer Van Allen belt and for energetic protons in the inner Van Allen zone. The review also describes several ways in which REPT data were employed for important space weather applications. The paper concludes with assessments of ways that REPT data might further be exploited to continue to advance radiation belt studies. The paper also discusses the pressing and critical need for the operational continuation of REPT-like measurements both for science and for space situational awareness.

This work conducts a statistical study of the subauroral polarization stream (SAPS) feature in the North American sector using Millstone Hill incoherent scatter radar measurements from 1979 to 2019, which provides a comprehensive SAPS climatology using a significantly larger database of radar observations than was used in seminal earlier works. Key features of SAPS and associated electron density (Ne), ion temperature (Ti), and electron temperature (Te) are investigated using a superposed epoch analysis method. The characteristics of these parameters are investigated with respect to magnetic local time, season, geomagnetic activity, solar activity, and interplanetary magnetic field (IMF) orientation, respectively. The main results are as follows: (1) Conditions for SAPS are more favorable for dusk than near midnight, for winter compared to summer, for active geomagnetic periods compared to quiet time, for solar minimum compared to solar maximum, and for IMF conditions with negative By and negative Bz. (2) SAPS is usually associated with a midlatitude trough of 15–20% depletion in the background density. The SAPS‐related trough is more pronounced in the postmidnight sector and near the equinoxes. (3) Subauroral ion and electron temperatures exhibit a 3–8% (50–120 K) enhancement in SAPS regions, which tend to have higher percentage enhancement during geomagnetically active periods and at midnight. Ion temperature enhancements are more favored during low solar activity periods, while the electron temperature enhancement remains almost constant as a function of the solar cycle. (4) The electron thermal content, Te × Ne, in the SAPS associated region is strongly dependent on 1/Ne, with Te exhibiting a negative correlation with respect to Ne.

Simultaneous multi-instrument observations of the redistribution of cold (<2 eV) plasma of ionospheric origin emphasize the role and importance of this system-wide phenomenon in the processes and across the regions of geospace. The geospace plume couples the ionosphere, plasmasphere, and magnetosphere from sub-auroral regions to the magnetopause, on polar field lines and into the magnetotail. We investigate the geospace plume using ground- and space-based observations of the 17 March 2015 major magnetic storm. Strong electric fields, plasma waves, and accelerated heavy ions characterized Van Allen Probes observations at the source of the geospace plume in the dusk sector where energetic ring current ions overlap the outer plasmasphere. On the dayside, Time History of Events and Macroscale Interactions during Substorms (THEMIS) spacecraft sampled the outflowing geospace plume and its involvement in reconnection at the magnetopause. Plume ions were accelerated and subsequently observed at up to similar to 1-keV energies in the reconnection exhaust jets.

The tens of keV ion populations observed in the ring current region at L~ 3- 7, generally have pancake-shaped pitch angle distributions (PADs), that is, peaked at 90 degrees. These pancake PADs are formed due to a combination of betatron and Fermi acceleration when they are transported from the tail plasma sheet, where the major ring current plasma originates. However, in this study, by using the Van Allen Probe observations from 2012 to 2018 on the dayside, unexpectedly we have found that about 5% of the time, protons with energies of ~30 to 50 keV show two distinct populations according to their PADs, having an additional population of field-aligned ions overlapping with the original pancake population. The newly appearing field-aligned populations have higher occurrence rates at ~12-16 MLT during geomagnetically active times. In particular, we have studied eight such events in detail and traced back these ions to their source regions according to the energy-dependent dispersion signatures caused by the differences in drift velocities. We found that the source regions are located around 12 to 18 MLT which coincides with the high occurrence rate region of 12-16 MLT. Based on the ionospheric and LANL geosynchronous observations of these eight events, it is suggested that these energetic ions with field-aligned PADs most probably are accelerated in the post-noon sector in association with ionospheric disturbances that are triggered by tail injection. These results provide evidence of another important source of the ring current ions.

Rapid radiation belt recovery following storm time depletion involves local acceleration of multi‐MeV electrons in nonlinear interactions with VLF chorus waves. Previous studies of an apparent impenetrable barrier at L ~ 2.8 focused on diffusion and precipitation loss mechanisms for an explanation of the sharp reduction of multi‐MeV electron fluxes earthward of L ~ 3. Van Allen Probes observations for cases when the plasmasphere is contracted earthward of L ~ 3 indicate that strong coherent signals from VLF transmitters can play significant roles in the suppression of nonlinear chorus wave growth earthward of L ~ 3. As a result, local nonlinear acceleration of hundreds of keV electrons to MeV energies does not occur in this region. During the recovery of the outer radiation belt when the plasmasphere is significantly contracted, the suppression of chorus wave growth and local acceleration by the action of the transmitter waves at the outer edge of the VLF bubble contributes to the sharp inner edge of the new MeV electron population and the formation of the impenetrable barrier at L ~ 2.8.

Efficient acceleration of relativistic electrons at Landau resonance with obliquely propagating whistler‐mode chorus emissions is confirmed by theory, simulation, and observation. The acceleration is due to the perpendicular component of the wave electric field. We first review theoretical analysis of nonlinear motion of resonant electrons interacting with obliquely propagating whistler‐mode chorus. We have derived formulae of inhomogeneity factors for Landau and cyclotron resonances to analyze nonlinear wave trapping of energetic electrons by an obliquely propagating chorus element. We performed test particle simulations to confirm that nonlinear wave trapping by both Landau and cyclotron resonances can take place for a wide range of energies. For an element of large amplitude chorus waves observed by the Van Allen Probes, we have performed detailed analyses of the wave form data based on theoretical framework of nonlinear trapping of resonant electrons. We compare the efficiencies of accelerations by cyclotron and Landau resonances. We find significant acceleration can take place both in Landau and cyclotron resonances. What controls the dynamics of relativistic electrons in the Landau resonance is the perpendicular field components rather than the parallel electric field of the oblique chorus wave. In evaluating the efficiency of nonlinear trapping, we have taken into account variation of the wave trapping potential structure controlled by the inhomogeneity factors.

The first major scientific discovery of the Space Age was that the Earth is enshrouded in toroids, or belts, of very high-energy magnetically trapped charged particles. Early observations of the radiation environment clearly indicated that the Van Allen belts could be delineated into an inner zone dominated by high-energy protons and an outer zone dominated by high-energy electrons. The energy distribution, spatial extent and particle species makeup of the Van Allen belts has been subsequently explored by several space missions. Recent observations by the NASA dual-spacecraft Van Allen Probes mission have revealed many novel properties of the radiation belts, especially for electrons at highly relativistic and ultra-relativistic kinetic energies. In this review we summarize the space weather impacts of the radiation belts. We demonstrate that many remarkable features of energetic particle changes are driven by strong solar and solar wind forcings. Recent comprehensive data show broadly and in many ways how high energy particles are accelerated, transported, and lost in the magnetosphere due to interplanetary shock wave interactions, coronal mass ejection impacts, and high-speed solar wind streams. We also discuss how radiation belt particles are intimately tied to other parts of the geospace system through atmosphere, ionosphere, and plasmasphere coupling. The new data have in many ways rewritten the textbooks about the radiation belts as a key space weather threat to human technological systems.

Cold ions of plasmaspheric origin have been observed to abundantly appear in the magnetospheric side of the Earth's magnetopause. These cold ions could affect the magnetic reconnection processes at the magnetopause by changing the Alfvén velocity and the reconnection rate, while they could also be heated in the reconnection layer during the ongoing reconnections. We report in situ observations from a partially crossing of a reconnection layer near the subsolar magnetopause. During this crossing, step-like accelerating processes of the cold ions were clearly observed, suggesting that the inflow cold ions may be separately accelerated by the rotation discontinuity and slow shock inside the reconnection layer.