Statistical properties of geomagnetic measurements as possible precursors for magnetic storms

Abstract

Records of geomagnetic measurements have been analyzed looking for evidences of possible precursors for magnetic storms. With this objective, the main magnetic storms in the period 1998-2002 have been located in Dst index record. Periods immediately before storms and periods well before them were studied by applying a method recently introduced in the literature. Statistical properties of both types of periods have been compared. One of the compared quantities was the slope of the power laws that have been found for some relevant distributions. A systematic deviation between slope distributions was found. This might be the fingerprint of a non self-organized component in records. There has also been found a correlation between slope values and the corresponding storm intensities, which could serve as a probabilistic approach to magnetic storms forecasting. Data is from the low latitude Vassouras Magnetic Observatory.