







































Georgian Geographical journal 2022, Vol.2 (1) 45-50 

 

Impact of short-term geomagnetic activity on the variability  

of meteorological parameters 
Marika Tatishvili1, Nana Bolashvili2, Ana Palavandishvili1* 

Abstract 

The paper deals with space weather prediction problem. The investigation of the possible effect of powerful 

magnetospheric storms on the evolving character of meteorological processes in the atmosphere to identify the 

correlation between magnetospheric disturbances and meteorological variations is presented in the paper. The 

investigation is preconditioned by the fact that Georgia is prone to hydrometeorological hazards, and it is essential 

to investigate their causing physical processes. Meteorological effects resulting from fluctuations in the solar wind 

are poorly represented in weather and climate models. A geomagnetic storm is a significant disturbance of Earth's 

magnetosphere exchanging energy from the solar wind into Earth's space environment. These storms result from 

solar wind variations that significantly change the currents, plasmas, and fields in Earth's magnetosphere. 

Geomagnetic indices measure geomagnetic activity occurring over short periods. They have been constructed to 

study the response of the Earth's ionosphere and magnetosphere to changes in solar activity. The correlation 

between geomagnetic storms and meteorological elements (temperature, precipitation, wind) has been carried out 

for the Georgian region using meteorological observation and NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory and NOAA 

Space Weather Prediction Centre data. The results show that there exists dependence between meteorological 

parameters and geomagnetic disturbances. 

Keywords: Meteorological parameters, space weather prediction, geo-magnetic index, correlation analysis 

Introduction 

The NASA Earth Observing System (EOS) program was launched in the early 1990s. EOS is 

comprised of a series of coordinated polar- -orbiting and mid-inclination satellites for long-term 

monitoring of the Earth as an integrated system, including observations of the land surface, biosphere, 

atmosphere, cryosphere and oceans to understand functioning of the Earth as an integrated system[1].   

The Earth weather is influenced by several phenomena that occur in near space. Those are Solar EUL 

Irradiance, Galactic Cosmic Rays, total Electron Content and Solar Cycles. The research of solar cycle 

influence on weather parameters is presented in the article.    

The Sun is the source of the energy that causes the atmosphere's motion and thereby controls weather 

and climate. Any change in the energy from the Sun received at the surface will affect Earth climate. 

During stable conditions, there has to be a balance between the energy received from the Sun and the 

energy that the Earth radiates back into Space [1]. This energy is mainly radiated in longwave radiation 

corresponding to the Earth's mean temperature. 

Solar transients; Solar Flares, Coronal Mass Ejections (CMEs), Solar Energetic Particles (SEPs) are 

the drivers of the Space Weather Effect in Geo-Space. When the gigantic cloud of plasma released 

through transient solar phenomena interacts with the Earth's magnetic environment, it leads to 

geomagnetic storms. Geomagnetic storms can be characterized by depression in the H component of 

the geomagnetic field. This depression in the H component of Earth's magnetic field is caused by the 

Ring Current encircling the Earth westward. Earth's ionosphere responds to varying solar and 

magnetospheric conditions. During geomagnetic storms due to the compression of Earth's 

magnetosphere by the solar wind, electric fields have been observed along the geomagnetic field lines 

to the high latitude ionosphere. Sometimes this electric field penetrates to low latitudes, and energetic 

particles precipitate into the lower thermosphere and below, increasing ionosphere conductivity and 

expanding the aurora zone [2]. These intense electric currents are responsible for coupling the high 

latitude ionosphere with the magnetosphere, and the enhanced energy input leads to considerable 

heating of the ionized and neutral gases. There are two types of effects, in time scale, on the Earth 

produced by solar transients; prompt and delayed. Geomagnetic Storm effects are delayed effects due 

to a cloud of particles ejected from the Sun. 

 
1 Institute of Hydrometeorology, Georgian technical University, Tbilisi, Georgia, m.tatishvili@gtu.ge 
2 Vakhushti Bagrationi Institute of Geography, Tbilisi, State University, nana.bolashvili@tsu.ge 

* Corresponding author: palavandishvili.ana21@gtu.ge 

 



Tatishvili et al. Georgian Geographical journal 2022, Vol.2 (1) 

The Sun undergoes a cyclical (~22 years) pattern of magnetic pole reversals observable in the 

frequency of sunspot activity. This pattern is comprised of two ~11-year solar cycles phases. In the first 

phase, the Sun's magnetic poles reverse polarity. The Sun reverses the magnetic polarity in the second 

phase, returning the poles to their original polarity. Solar storm activity is strongly phase-dependent. 

Accordingly, Earth magnetic field is influenced by this reverse.  

Solar flares are magnetically driven explosions on the surface of the Sun. Approximately 8 minutes 

after solar flare occurs on the surface of the Sun, a powerful burst of electromagnetic radiation in the 

form of X-ray, extreme ultraviolet rays, gamma-ray radiation and radio burst arrive at Earth. The 

ultraviolet rays heat the upper atmosphere, which causes the outer atmospheric shell to expand. The x-

rays strip electrons from the atom in the ionosphere producing a sudden increase in total electron 

content. Solar flares produce satellite communications interference, radar interference, shortwave radio 

fades, blackout, and atmospheric drag on satellite, producing an unplanned change in the orbit and other 

disturbances in the upper atmosphere. 

CMEs are vast clouds of seething gas, charged plasma of low to medium energy particles with the 

embedded magnetic field, blasted into interplanetary space from the Sun. When a CME strikes Earth, 

the compressed magnetic fields and plasma in their leading-edge smash into the geomagnetic field, this 

produces a temporary disturbance of the Earth's magnetosphere called a geomagnetic storm and the 

equatorial ring of currents, differential gradient and curvature drift of electrons and protons in the Near-

Earth region. The birthplaces of CMEs are often seen to originate near the site of solar flares [2]. 

The severity of a geomagnetic storm depends on the orientation of Earth's magnetic field concerning 

the solar storm magnetic orientation. If the particle cloud has a southward directed magnetic field, it 

will be severe, while the effects are minimized northward. 

A CME can produce the following effects: electrostatic spacecraft charging, shifting of the Van Allen 

radiation belt, space track errors, launch trajectory errors, spacecraft payload deployment problems, 

surveillance radar errors, radio propagation anomalies, compass alignment errors, electrical power 

blackouts, oil and gas pipeline corrosion, communication landline & equipment damage, electrical 

shock hazard, electrical fires, heart attacks, strokes, and traffic accidents. The magnetospheric storm is 

a 1–3-day phenomenon spanning all the magnetosphere regions, and it features sharp depressions in the 

magnetic field. During storms and sub storms, the ionosphere undergoes a rather significant Joule 

heating with great power of precipitating energetic particles. Enormous energy increases the ionosphere 

temperature and causes large-scale ion drifts and neutral winds [3]. 

The Sun continuously provides solar radiation to the Earth, and there is considerable variation in the 

spectral density. This radiation is sporadically modified by flare events that affect the magnetosphere, 

thermosphere, and ionosphere. The quasi-steady flow of the solar wind is also modified by coronal mass 

ejections (CMEs), which accelerate energetic particles and cause geomagnetic storms during 

subsequent impacts on Earth. Observations have suggested that energetic particle forcing may affect 

wave propagation, zonal mean temperatures, and zonal winds in the Northern Hemisphere winter 

stratosphere. However, the mechanisms by which these changes occur are still not known. As changes 

in the Earth's atmosphere occur, whether due to changes in solar forcing or response to enhanced 

anthropogenic activity and increased greenhouse gas (GHG) concentrations, the energy balance of the 

Earth's atmosphere is altered, affecting its dynamics. Changes can occur in the propagation of 

atmospheric gravity waves, planetary waves, and tides, which play essential roles in driving the general 

circulation of the middle atmosphere. The thermosphere-ionosphere system is known to vary 

substantially with altitude, latitude, longitude, universal time, season, solar cycle and geomagnetic 

activity due to mechanisms inherent to the system and a result of space weather. The primary driving 

mechanism is solar radiation (EUV and UV), but precipitation of charged magnetospheric particles and 

magnetospheric electric fields also have significant effects on the ionosphere-thermosphere system. The 

driving processes determine the density, composition, and temperature of the ionized and neutral 

constituents of the upper atmosphere. 

The solar wind conditions that are effective for creating geomagnetic storms are sustained (for 

several to many hours) periods of the high-speed solar wind, and most importantly, a southward directed 

solar wind magnetic field (opposite the direction of Earth's field) at the dayside of the magnetosphere. 

This condition effectively transfers energy from the solar wind into Earth's magnetosphere.  

The most significant storms that result from these conditions are associated with solar coronal mass 

ejections (CMEs), where a billion tons or so of plasma from the Sun, with its embedded magnetic field, 



Tatishvili et al. Georgian Geographical journal 2022, Vol.2 (1) 

arrives at Earth. CMEs typically take several days to arrive at Earth but have been observed to arrive in 

as short as 18 hours for some of the most intense storms. Another solar wind disturbance that creates 

conditions favourable to geomagnetic storms is a high-speed solar wind stream (HSS). HSSs plough 

into the slower solar wind in front and create co-rotating interaction regions or CIRs. These regions are 

often related to geomagnetic storms that, while less intense than CME storms, can deposit more energy 

in Earth's magnetosphere over a longer interval. 

Methods and Materials 

To understand variability character of meteorological parameters such as temperature, pressure, wind 

speed and precipitation the impact of short-term geo-magnetic activity on those characters is 

investigated in presented aticle. 

The study area is the Georgian region. The relief of Georgia is mountainous, sharply billowy, where 

significant orographic raisings alternate with intermountain troughs. On the northern part of the 

territory, from north-west to south-east Main Caucasus Ridge is stretching. Its separate tops are above 

5000m. The South Georgian plateau stretches in the south part of the territory. Between Main Caucasus 

Ridge and south Georgian Plateau, the intermountain depression is located, presented by lowlands, 

plains and plateaus. 

Complex orographic conditions and the influence of the Black Sea preconditioned the formation of 

a great variety of climates and landscapes. Here exist most of Earth's climatic types, from marine wet 

subtropical climate of west Georgia and steppe continental climate of east Georgia up to eternal snow 

and glaciers of high mountain zone of Great Caucasus, and approximately 40% of observed landscapes. 

Thus, those climatic zones condition formation of different dangerous hydrometeorological 

phenomena, namely: hailstone, heavy showers, flooding, thunderstorm, draughts, and sea storms [5]. 

The aim is to investigate the possible effect of magnetospheric storms on the evolving character of 

meteorological processes in the atmosphere, to study the correlation between magnetospheric 

disturbances and meteorological background variations. The Sun and the Earth's motion along its orbit 

govern changes in the solar-terrestrial environment on time scales ranging from minutes to glacial 

cycles. Changes in Earth's climate have been the focal point of recent research in solar-terrestrial physics 

(STP), and a particular emphasis has been placed on the coupling between the troposphere (below 10–

15 km altitude), middle atmosphere (10–100 km altitude), and near-Earth Geo-space (mesosphere, 

thermosphere, ionosphere, and magnetosphere), and solar activity. 

 The Kp index is probably the most widely used of all magnetic indices. It is intended to express the 

degree of "geomagnetic activity," or disturbance for the whole Earth, for intervals of three hours in 

Universal Time [6]. 

Time sequences of circulation patterns and solar activity parameters are also subject to investigations. 

Intrusions into the Atlantic and Europe were observed nearby geomagnetic-disturbance days. It was 

found that increasing geomagnetic activity leads to the change of meridional flow into the zonal one of 

the atmospheric circulations in the mid-latitudes on the Northern Hemisphere.  It was also depicted that 

short-term and long-term changes in solar activity, the geomagnetic field and weather demonstrate very 

similar quasi-periodic variations 

To establish the influence of geomagnetic activity on the formation of weather pattern geomagnetic 

indices achieved from the following open sources [6,7,8, 9,10] and meteorological observation database 

for 2014-18 have been analysed. The meteorological database was extracted from the Georgian National 

Environmental Agency archive. The 4 locations were chosen: Tbilisi (Kartli Region), Batumi- Adjara 

Region, Telavi-Kakheti Region and the last one in high mountain zone-Mta-Sabueti. The results showed 

that constantly weather patterns change: increased wind velocity; temperature change (decrease); 

precipitation amount increase follows the geomagnetic activity. The Tbilisi data is used to present 

dependence of precipitation, temperature and wind speed on geo-magnetic kp index. 

Results and Discussion 

To identify the connection between geomagnetic activity and meteorological processes, 2014-17 

period precipitation, wind, temperature observation data and geomagnetic kp index daily data have been 

used for Georgian conditions. The charts below show the correlation between meteorological 

parameters and geomagnetic activity expressed in planetary kp index. 



Tatishvili et al. Georgian Geographical journal 2022, Vol.2 (1) 

 
(a) 

 
(b) 

 
(c) 

Figure 1. (a,b,c). Precipitation and geo-index correlation for Tbilisi point in 2017 

The analysis has been conducted for current, pre and aftershock 3 and 5 days. For meteorological 

parameters current day is crucial, and a 3,5-day time-lapse is reliable for circulation processes. It is 

ascertained that during all magnetic storms, southwest or southeast wave processes have been formed, 

and strong storms create high-pressure areas. Depending on the synoptic situation, wave processes lead 

to thunderstorms and heavy showers. In addition, the direction of circulation processes may drastically 

change through geomagnetic storms.  



Tatishvili et al. Georgian Geographical journal 2022, Vol.2 (1) 

 
Figure 2. Wind speed and geo-index (kp) correlation for Tbilisi point in 2017 (I-III) 

The Vere River tragedy on 13 June 2015 clearly shows how meteorological disasters triggered geo-

hazard. On this day, flash-flood on the Vere River flooded part of Tbilisi city, destroyed buildings, 

infrastructure, Zoo, many Zoo habitats, and 18 casualties. After analysing satellite data and the 

synoptical situation, what happened became clear. During several days from 9 to 14 June, 2 MEV, high 

energy electrons penetrate the atmosphere (NOAA/SWPC, Boulder, Co, USA. spaceweatherlive.com; 

Earthdata.nasa.gov). The abundant electrons create stable clusters in the lower atmosphere resisting 

precipitation infall. After they became so massive that they could not resist gravitation, a significant 

amount of rainwater fell out from clouds, causing flooding [11]. 

It is not fully clear the physical mechanism of this correlation and the issue needs further 

investigation applying quantum field theory that is more suitable for description of photon-photon or 

photon-charged particle interaction as during geomagnetic activity significant number of charged 

particles and photons to penetrate atmosphere [12, 13]. 

Most water properties are preconditioned because three-component atoms aren’t placed on one line. 

Negative charge prevailed on oxygen atoms part and positive on hydrogen. Thus, water molecule is 

electrically polarized. Among atoms and molecules, acts force that always has attractive character. It is 

intermolecular dispersive or Van-Deer-Vaalse force [14, 15,16]. It is only one of the expressions of 

electromagnetic force. It acts among electrically neutral systems such as dipole or quadruple. In dipoles, 

force reduces by r4 inverse proportional and in quadruple by r-6. It is not temperature-dependent, and 

its nature is quantum. By increasing dipole numbers, their interaction increases [14].  

Conclusion 

This correlation became obvious from analysing historical meteorological observations and 

geomagnetic activity records. This activity has driven many dangerous hydrometeorological events 

(flood, landslide) over Georgian territory due to the intensification of precipitation. Even hail processes 

intensification results from increasing atmosphere electricity and thunderstorm activity, produced by 

high energy charged particles intrusion into the upper atmosphere.   

These kinds of studies are essential in understanding Earth magnetism and the Sun-Earth 

environment. It may be assumed that only existing numerical weather models are insufficient, and 

magnetic models must be enhanced to make forecasting more precise. 

Competing interests 

The authors declare that they have no competing interests. 

Authors’ contribution 

M.T. data processing, paper preparation, N. B. data processing, paper preparation, A. P. literature 

analysis. 

References 

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