Active exploration of space for communication, navigation, and Earth remote sensing in recent decades has drawn increased attention to the study of the Sun’s impact on the Earth and requires creating effective models for space weather forecast. Magnetic storms that produce disturbances in the ionosphere and atmosphere are the strongest manifestation of space weather. Among such events is the magnetic storm that started on May 10, 2024, during which the auroral oval reached 19° N. Over the past 20 years since the last magnetic storm of similar intensity was observed, new scientific facilities have been put into operation as part of the National Heliogeophysical Complex of the Russian Academy of Sciences. A huge decrease in the electron density (by a factor of five relative to the background level) and record-breaking airglow of the upper atmosphere (the atomic oxygen red line airglow exceeded 25 kR) compared to the strongest storms in solar cycle 23 were recorded. The combined optical and radio-physical measurements in Eastern Siberia, supported by data from global networks, demonstrated the correlation between the temperature increase in the upper atmosphere and a strong decrease in the ionospheric electron density at mid-latitudes due to increased recombination during the storm. Combined measurements from ionosonde and high-frequency radar networks have shown a significant deterioration in the conditions of radio wave propagation. The complementarity of the currently deployed scientific instruments opens up new opportunities for monitoring the state of the near-Earth space, as well as for studying and modeling dynamic processes during such extreme phenomena with unprecedented detail.
Yu.V. Yasyukevich (Wed,) studied this question.