Solar Terrestrial Activity Report

Activity chart

Last major update issued on March 20, 2014 at 05:55 UTC.

[Solar and geomagnetic data - last month (updated daily)]
[Solar wind and electron fluence charts (updated daily)]
[Solar cycles 23-24 (last update March 1, 2014)] [Cycle 24 progress (last update March 1, 2014) ]
[Solar cycles 1-20]
[Graphical comparison of cycles 21, 22, 23 and 24 (last update March 1, 2014)]
[Graphical comparison of cycles 10, 12, 13, 14, 16 and 24 (last update March 1, 2014)]
[Historical solar and geomagnetic data charts 1954-2006 (last update April 5, 2007)]
[Archived reports since January 2003 (last update March 1, 2014)]

[POES auroral activity level since October 2009 - updated January 26, 2013]
[Solar polar fields vs solar cycles - updated March 16, 2014]
[Presentation 3rd SSN Workshop, Tucson, 2013 (pdf)]

Recent activity

The geomagnetic field was quiet on March 19. Solar wind speed at SOHO ranged between 289 and 333 km/s.

Solar flux at 20h UTC on 2.8 GHz was 149.2 (decreasing 7.2 over the last solar rotation). The 90 day 10.7 flux at 1 AU was 152.8. The Potsdam WDC planetary A index was 4 (STAR Ap - based on the mean of three hour interval ap indices: 4.4). Three hour interval K indices: 21211111 (planetary), 11111221 (Boulder).

The background x-ray flux is at the class C1 level.

At the time of counting spots (see image time), spots were observed in 15 active regions in 2K resolution (SN: 299) and 13 active regions in 1K resolution (SN: 212) SDO images on the visible solar disk.

Region 12004 [S10W52] matured and was mostly quiet.
Region 12005 [N12W20] decayed slowly and quietly.
Region 12008 [S10E17] decayed slowly and quietly.
Region 12010 [S15E40] developed slowly producing several C flares.
C5+ flare: C9.9 at 07:34 UTC.
Region 12011 [S07W38] developed quickly and a small magnetic delta structure has formed centrally. A minor M class flare is possible.
Region 12012 [S09E48] was quiet and stable.
Region 12013 [N14E56] was quiet and stable.
New region 12014 [S12E75] rotated partly into view on March 18 and was numbered the next day by SWPC. The region has displayed increasing activity and was the source of an M1.7 flare at 03:56 UTC on March 20.

Spotted regions not numbered (or interpreted differently) by SWPC:
S3226 [S10E08] developed slowly and quietly.
S3227 [S22W14] reemerged with penumbra spots.
S3233 [S24E25] was quiet and stable.
S3236 [S28E48] was quiet and stable.
New region S3244 [N17E41] emerged with a penumbra spot.
New region S3245 [S19E05] emerged with penumbra spots.
New region S3246 [S02E11] emerged with penumbra spots.

Coronal mass ejections (CMEs)

March 17-19: No obviously Earth directed CMEs were observed in LASCO and STEREO imagery.

Coronal holes

Coronal hole history (since October 2002)
Compare today's report to the situation one solar rotation ago: 28 days ago 27 days ago 26 days ago

A small trans equatorial coronal hole (CH608) was in an Earth facing position on March 19-20.

Coronal hole map

Propagation

Long distance low and medium frequency (below 2 MHz) propagation along paths north of due west over upper middle latitudes is poor. Propagation on long distance northeast-southwest paths is poor.

Forecast

The geomagnetic field is expected to be quiet on March 20-21. Effects from CH608 could cause a weak disturbance on March 22-23.

Coronal holes (1) Coronal mass ejection (2) M and X class flares (3)
     

1) Effects from a coronal hole could reach Earth within the next 5 days. When the high speed stream has arrived the color changes to green.
2) Effects from a CME are likely to be observed at Earth within 96 hours.
3) There is a possibility of either M or X class flares within the next 48 hours.

Green: 0-20% probability, Yellow: 20-60% probability, Red: 60-100% probability.

Active solar regions

(Click on image for 2K resolution) Compare to the previous day's image. 0.5K image

When available the active region map has a coronal hole polarity overlay where red (pink) is negative and blue is positive.

Data for all numbered solar regions according to the Solar Region Summary provided by NOAA/SWPC. Comments are my own, as is the STAR spot count (spots observed at or inside a few hours before midnight) and data for regions not numbered by SWPC or where SWPC has observed no spots. SWPC active region numbers in the table below and in the active region map above are the historic SWPC/USAF numbers.

Active region Date numbered
detected
Spot count Location at midnight Area Classification SDO / HMI 4K continuum
image with magnetic polarity overlay
Comment
SWPC Magnetic
(SDO)
SWPC STAR Current Previous
2K 1K
12002 2014.03.07
2014.03.08
2     S18W86 0030 CAO     spotless
12004 2014.03.09
2014.03.10
9 15 8 S10W59 0060 DAO DAO

location: S11W42

area: 0120

12005 2014.03.11
2014.03.12
1 20 8 N13W23 0250 HHX CHO images/AR_12005_20140319_2345.png images/AR_12005_20140318_2345.png area: 0330

location: N12W20

12007 2014.03.13
2014.03.14
      N11W05           trailing part of AR 12005
12009 2014.03.13
2014.03.16
      N14W44         plage

location: N11W45

S3216 2014.03.13       S01W56           plage
12008 2014.03.14
2014.03.15
6 9 2 S11E17 0030 CRO AXX area: 0015
S3225 2014.03.15       S14E13         plage
S3226 2014.03.15   12 8 S10E08 0080   DAO  
S3227 2014.03.15   4 3 S22W14 0015   AXX images/AR_S3227_20140319_2345.png    
S3229 2014.03.16       S08W15           plage
12010 2014.03.16
2014.03.17
13 28 17 S15E39 0100 DAI DAC beta-gamma

area: 0220

S3231 2014.03.16       S19W00           plage
S3232 2014.03.16       S24W04           plage
S3233 2014.03.17   2 2 S24E25 0008   AXX  
12012 2014.03.17
2014.03.18
2 2 2 S09E47 0010 AXX HRX area: 0016
12013 2014.03.17
2014.03.18
1 4 1 N13E56 0030 HSX CAO area: 0070
S3236 2014.03.17   2   S28E48 0003   AXX  
S3237 2014.03.17       S23E14           plage
12011 2014.03.18 9 30 19 S07W36 0070 DAO DAC beta-gamma-delta

area: 0270

12014 2014.03.18
2014.03.19
4 9 8 S15E74 0050 CSO DAC beta-gamma

location: S12E75

S3241 2014.03.18       N15E27         plage
S3242 2014.03.18       N21W05         plage
S3244 2014.03.19   1 1 N17E41 0006   AXX    
S3245 2014.03.19   9 3 S19E05 0020   BXO    
S3246 2014.03.19   2   S02E11 0004   AXX    
Total spot count: 47 149 82  
Sunspot number: 137 299 212  (total spot count + 10 * number of spotted regions)
Weighted SN: 91 192 125  (Sum of total spot count + classification weighting for each AR. Classification weighting: X=0, R=3, A/S=5, H/K=10)
Relative sunspot number (Wolf number): 82 105 117 k * (sunspot number). k = 0.6 for SWPC, k = 0.35 for MSN 2K, k = 0.55 for MSN 1K (MSN=Magnetic Sunspot Number)

Monthly solar cycle data

Month Average solar flux International sunspot number
(WDC-SILSO)
Smoothed sunspot number Average ap
(3)
Measured 1 AU
2012.11 121.3 118.3 61.8 59.7 (+1.1) 7.08
2012.12 108.6 105.0 40.8 59.6 (-0.1) 3.44
2013.01 127.1 123.1 62.9 58.7 (-0.9) 4.69
2013.02 104.3 101.8 38.0 58.4 (-0.3) 6.11
2013.03 111.3 110.2 57.9 57.5 (-0.9) 10.56
2013.04 124.8 125.9 72.4 57.9 (+0.4) 5.40
2013.05 131.4 134.3 78.7 59.9 (+2.0) 9.73
2013.06 110.1 113.7 52.5 62.6 (+2.7) 12.60
2013.07 115.5 119.3 57.0 65.5 (+2.9) 9.47
2013.08 114.6 118.3 66.0 69.0 (+3.5) 8.27
2013.09 102.6 103.7 36.9 (72.8 projected, +3.8) 5.23
2013.10  132.1 131.2 85.6 (73.8 projected, +1.0) 7.71
2013.11  148.3 145.1 77.6 (72.7 projected, -1.1) 5.68
2013.12 147.7 143.1 90.3 (71.6 projected, -1.1) 4.68
2014.01 157.4 152.4 82.0 (71.6 projected, 0.0) 5.44
2014.02 170.3
(cycle peak)
166.3 102.8 (cycle peak) (70.9 projected, -0.7) 10.70
2014.03 149.1 (1)   88.6 (2A) / 144.6 (2B) / 117.4 (2C) (71.0 projected, +0.1) (4.5)

1) Running average based on the daily 20:00 UTC observed solar flux value at 2800 MHz.
2A) Current impact on the monthly sunspot number based on the Boulder (NOAA/SWPC) sunspot number (accumulated daily sunspots / month days). The official WDC-SILSO international sunspot number is typically 30-50% lower. 2B) Boulder SN current month average to date. 2C) STAR SDO 1K Wolf number 30 day average.
3) Running average based on the quicklook and definitive Potsdam WDC ap indices. Values in red are based on the definitive international GFZ Potsdam WDC ap indices.

This report has been prepared by Jan Alvestad. It is based on the analysis of data from whatever sources are available at the time the report is prepared. All time references are to the UTC day. Comments and suggestions are always welcome.

SDO images are courtesy of NASA/SDO and the AIA, EVE, and HMI science teams.