Localized geomagnetic disturbances: a statistical analysis of spatial scale

Geomagnetically induced currents (GICs) pose a significant space weather hazard, driven by geomagnetic field variation due to the coupling of the solar wind to the magnetosphere-ionosphere system. Extensive research has been dedicated to understanding ground-level geomagnetic field perturbations as a GIC proxy. Still, the non-uniform aspect of geomagnetic fluctuations make it difficult to fully characterize the ground-level magnetic field across large regions of the globe. Here, we focus on localized geomagnetic disturbances (LGMDs) in the North American region and specify the degree to which these disturbances are localized. Employing the electrodynamics-informed Spherical Elementary Current Systems (SECS) method, we spatially interpolate magnetic field perturbations between ground-based magnetometer stations. In this way, we represent the ground magnetic field as a series of heatmaps at high temporal and spatial resolution. We leverage heatmaps from storm time during solar cycle 24 to automatically identify LGMDs. We build a statistical picture of the frequency with which LGMDs occur, their scale sizes, and their latitude-longitude aspect ratios. Additionally, we use an information theory approach to quantify the dependence of these three attributes on the phase of the solar cycle. We find no clear influence of the solar cycle on any of the three attributes. We offer some avenues toward explaining why LGMDs might behave broadly the same whether they arise during solar maximum or solar minimum.