Temporal evolution of geomagnetic field disturbance during the May 2024 storm: a network approach

Understanding the spatio-temporal organization of geomagnetic field variations during intense magnetic storms is essential for characterizing the large-scale response of the magnetosphere–ionosphere system. In this study, we investigate the temporal evolution of geomagnetic field correlations using a network-based approach applied to ground-based observations.

We consider minute-resolution magnetic field data recorded by 50 geomagnetic observatories located in the Northern Hemisphere at magnetic latitudes higher than 40°. The analysis focuses on the temporal behavior of the horizontal component of the geomagnetic field during the intense magnetic storm that occurred in May 2024. A functional network is constructed by quantifying the statistical relationships between pairs of observatories over sliding time windows, allowing the connectivity structure of the network to evolve in time.

The network properties are analyzed using standard metrics from complex network theory with the aim of characterizing changes in the network topology between geomagnetically quiet conditions and storm periods. By comparing the network structure before, during, and after the storm main phase, this study aims to identify collective patterns and large-scale reconfigurations in geomagnetic field dynamics at high latitudes.

This work explores the potential of network analysis as a complementary tool for investigating geomagnetic storms using multi-station ground-based observations, providing insights into the complex/collective behavior of the geomagnetic field variations during extreme space weather events.

This research was funded by the Space It Up! project funded by the Italian Space Agency, ASI, and the Ministry of University and Research, MUR, under contract n. 2024-5-E.0—CUP n. I53D24000060005.