Magnetic storms, more precisely geomagnetic storms, are global disturbances in Earth’s magnetosphere driven by enhanced solar wind conditions and interplanetary magnetic field (IMF) structures, particularly southward IMF associated with coronal mass ejections or high-speed solar wind streams. They are characterized by rapid energy transfer from the solar wind into the magnetosphere–ionosphere system via magnetic reconnection, causing enhanced ring current, auroral electrojets, and large deviations in geomagnetic indices such as Dst and Kp. These storms modify radiation belt populations, ionospheric currents, and thermospheric density, impacting space weather–relevant processes, including satellite drag, communications, and geomagnetically induced currents.
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