American physicists have discovered evidence that the magnetic storm experienced by Earth in mid-May caused various changes. Virginia Tech indicates that the magnetic storm that hit Earth in May not only caused auroras in tropical regions and mid-latitudes but also led to changes in the structure of Earth's atmosphere. Scott Englund, an associate professor at the university, states: "The intensification of the auroras at low latitudes was accompanied by a rise in temperature in the Earth's polar atmosphere, leading to an acceleration in the flow of air currents from surrounding areas toward the tropical region. Therefore, we need to determine whether these changes are solely a result of the magnetic storm in May or if they occur every time there are strong magnetic storms."
Researchers discovered these changes by analyzing data collected during the magnetic storm in May, with the help of the GOLD probe, which is tasked with monitoring the boundary between the atmosphere and space during magnetic storms and other changes in "space weather." They tracked how the composition and characteristics of Earth's thermosphere and the upper layers of the atmosphere changed between May 9-14. Calculations indicated a sudden rise in temperature in the thermosphere over the polar regions at the onset of the magnetic storm, where charged particles from near-Earth space easily penetrate. Their interaction with the Earth's magnetic field and ions heated the atmosphere, resulting in a temperature increase of 1.4 thousand Kelvin at an altitude of 160 km above the Earth's surface.
According to scientists, this heating has led to a global restructuring of the atmosphere and significant changes in the proportions of oxygen atoms and nitrogen molecules in the atmosphere, as well as the formation of air currents and vortices moving toward the tropical region. Additionally, researchers observed unusual movements and interactions of low-energy particles that had not been recorded before during magnetic storms.
