Ionospheric Response to the May 11, 2024, Geomagnetic Superstorm over Ecuador

TL;DR

This paper examines how the May 2024 geomagnetic superstorm affected the ionosphere over Ecuador, revealing a decrease in TEC during the storm's main phase and a gradual recovery afterward, with implications for satellite systems.

Contribution

It provides the first detailed TEC response analysis over Ecuador during the May 2024 superstorm, highlighting unique ionospheric behavior and emphasizing real-time monitoring importance.

Findings

TEC decreased during the storm's main phase

Gradual TEC increase observed during recovery

Highlights variability in ionospheric responses

Abstract

This study investigates the impact of the G5 geomagnetic storm on Total Electron Content (TEC) derived from the Global Positioning System (GPS) in Gal\'apagos, Ecuador (geographic latitude 0.1807{\deg} S, longitude 78.4678{\deg} W) during May 10-13, 2024. Using vertical TEC (VTEC) data from a single pseudorandom noise (PRN) code, along with the average VTEC from the same PRN collected over the ten days before the storm, referred to as background TEC, to analyze the variations in TEC. Our findings indicate that during the main phase of the storm on May 10-11, 2024, TEC experienced a notable decrease, which contrasts with the typical responses observed in previous storms. This decrease can be attributed to rapid recombination processes and potential plasma instabilities triggered by the storm. In the recovery phase following the main storm, a gradual increase in TEC was observed, illustrating the complex dynamics of the ionosphere in response to geomagnetic disturbances. This study underscores the variability in TEC responses during geomagnetic storms. It highlights the importance of real-time monitoring to improve our understanding of the implications for satellite communication and navigation systems.