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https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-2174
https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-2174
29 Jul 2024
 | 29 Jul 2024

The geomagnetic superstorm of 10 May 2024: Citizen science observations

Maxime Grandin, Emma Bruus, Vincent E. Ledvina, Noora Partamies, Mathieu Barthelemy, Carlos Martinis, Rowan Dayton-Oxland, Bea Gallardo-Lacourt, Yukitoshi Nishimura, Katie Herlingshaw, Neethal Thomas, Eero Karvinen, Donna Lach, Marjan Spijkers, and Calle Bergstrand

Abstract. The 10 May 2024 geomagnetic storm 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 observations, although not from traditional scientific instruments, can prove 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 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, 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) 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, and that the auroral electron precipitation contained large fluxes of low-energy (< 1 keV) particles. This may explain the predominantly red and pink colours of the aurora as reported by citizen scientists, intense enough to reach naked-eye visibility. 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.

Publisher's note: Copernicus Publications remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims made in the text, published maps, institutional affiliations, or any other geographical representation in this preprint. The responsibility to include appropriate place names lies with the authors.
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Journal article(s) based on this preprint

20 Dec 2024
| Highlight paper
The Gannon Storm: citizen science observations during the geomagnetic superstorm of 10 May 2024
Maxime Grandin, Emma Bruus, Vincent E. Ledvina, Noora Partamies, Mathieu Barthelemy, Carlos Martinis, Rowan Dayton-Oxland, Bea Gallardo-Lacourt, Yukitoshi Nishimura, Katie Herlingshaw, Neethal Thomas, Eero Karvinen, Donna Lach, Marjan Spijkers, and Calle Bergstrand
Geosci. Commun., 7, 297–316, https://doi.org/10.5194/gc-7-297-2024,https://doi.org/10.5194/gc-7-297-2024, 2024
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The requested preprint has a corresponding peer-reviewed final revised paper. You are encouraged to refer to the final revised version.

This work highlights the importance of data collected through citizen science for studying...
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We carried out a citizen science study of aurora sightings and experienced technological...
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