Geomagnetically induced currents during the SSC of the October 2024 geomagnetic storm in Europe.

Geomagnetically induced currents (GIC) are electrical currents caused by variations of the geomagnetic field due to space weather phenomena. These currents can affect numerous infrastructures, such as pipelines and power grids, becoming particularly hazardous during magnetic storms.

This study investigates the Storm Sudden Commencement of the October 2024 magnetic storm by analyzing solar wind data from WIND, ARTEMIS, and GOES satellites, alongside ground-based magnetometer data from the European quasi-Meridional Magnetometer Array (EMMA) network. We reconstructed the interplanetary shock’s normal and the Earth’s magnetosphere state thanks to the TS04 and Shue et al. model. Magnetospheric-ionospheric currents were evaluated and the geoelectric surface field was estimated to compute GIC magnitudes using the MAIGIC model (Piersanti et al., 2019).

This research contributes to understanding how GIC are coupled with interplanetary shocks and when such phenomena can pose significant risks to modern technology.