Speaker
Description
Since the launch of ESA’s Swarm constellation, several physical quantities measured onboard the three satellites have been used to derive indices that support the study of near-Earth space processes. While multiple indices exist to quantify ionospheric plasma irregularities such as RODI (Rate Of change of electron Density Index), an analogous index for magnetic field fluctuations has not yet been introduced. Taking advantage of the high-quality magnetic field measurements provided by Swarm, we propose a new index specifically designed to capture time variations in the external magnetic field component. The index is constructed using a sliding-window approach, conceptually similar to RODI but adapted to vector magnetic field data. This index helps highlight enhancements in magnetic variability thus allowing the identification of disturbed regions. We present a first assessment of the index using Swarm Level-1b magnetic data, focusing on selected case studies and discussing the results in terms of the processes occurring in the ionosphere-magnetosphere system.
