RadCube MAGIC observations of complex field aligned currents associated with a supersubstorm during the May 2024 geomagnetic storm
- 1Department of Physics, Imperial College London, London, SW7 2AZ UK
- 2Present Address: School of Physical and Chemical Sciences, Queen Mary University of London, London, EN1 4NS UK
Abstract
Geomagnetic storms are a key driver of space weather impacts. The enhancement of ionospheric currents during these events can produce geomagnetically induced currents (GICs) that may interfere with the operation of ground infrastructure such as power grids, pipelines, and railway networks. It is therefore critical to understand how, why, and when very intense GICs may occur during an extended geomagnetic storm interval. Supersubstorms are extremely intense substorms which may occur during the main or recovery phases of geomagnetic storms. These rare events bear special investigation because they may have a significant impact on GIC formation during extreme geomagnetic storms. Multiple supersubstorms were observed during the May 2024 geomagnetic storm, and here we report new observations of supersubstorm field aligned currents (FACs), observed in situ by the MAGnetometer from Imperial College (MAGIC) instrument on the RadCube technology demonstration CubeSat. These measurements provide new insight into the detailed structure of supersubstorm FACs, complementing global FAC maps, and reveal an extended spatial region containing magnetic fluctuations across a broad range of spatial/temporal scales, including intense localised current spikes. As well as revealing new details about supersubstorm-related FACs, these observations illustrate the need for dense constellations of low-Earth-orbit satellite-based magnetometers for space weather monitoring.
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BibTeX
@article{eastwood2026radcube,
title = {{RadCube MAGIC observations of complex field aligned currents associated with a supersubstorm during the May 2024 geomagnetic storm}},
author = {Jonathan P. Eastwood and Martin O. Archer and Cara L. Waters and Harry C. Lewis and Adrian T. LaMoury and Sofia Burne and Kaja Glosli and Richard Baughen and Tim Oddy and Patrick Brown},
journal = {Scientific Reports},
year = {2026},
month = jul,
doi = {10.1038/s41598-026-63206-7},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-026-63206-7},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - RadCube MAGIC observations of complex field aligned currents associated with a supersubstorm during the May 2024 geomagnetic storm
AU - Jonathan P. Eastwood
AU - Martin O. Archer
AU - Cara L. Waters
AU - Harry C. Lewis
AU - Adrian T. LaMoury
AU - Sofia Burne
AU - Kaja Glosli
AU - Richard Baughen
AU - Tim Oddy
AU - Patrick Brown
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/07/28
JO - Scientific Reports
DO - 10.1038/s41598-026-63206-7
UR - https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-026-63206-7
AB - Geomagnetic storms are a key driver of space weather impacts. The enhancement of ionospheric currents during these events can produce geomagnetically induced currents (GICs) that may interfere with the operation of ground infrastructure such as power grids, pipelines, and railway networks. It is therefore critical to understand how, why, and when very intense GICs may occur during an extended geomagnetic storm interval. Supersubstorms are extremely intense substorms which may occur during the main or recovery phases of geomagnetic storms. These rare events bear special investigation because they may have a significant impact on GIC formation during extreme geomagnetic storms. Multiple supersubstorms were observed during the May 2024 geomagnetic storm, and here we report new observations of supersubstorm field aligned currents (FACs), observed in situ by the MAGnetometer from Imperial College (MAGIC) instrument on the RadCube technology demonstration CubeSat. These measurements provide new insight into the detailed structure of supersubstorm FACs, complementing global FAC maps, and reveal an extended spatial region containing magnetic fluctuations across a broad range of spatial/temporal scales, including intense localised current spikes. As well as revealing new details about supersubstorm-related FACs, these observations illustrate the need for dense constellations of low-Earth-orbit satellite-based magnetometers for space weather monitoring.
SN - 2045-2322
ER -