Determination of the running quiet daily geomagnetic variation

A new automatic running method for derivation of the quiet daily geomagnetic variation-quiet day curve (QDC) is described. The method consists in the automatic distinction of the quietest periods using the geomagnetic variations parameterization, calculation of the proper quiet daily variation for certain days, reconstruction of QDC for each day of the elapsed period and extrapolation of QDC for the subsequent period. The method ensures statistically reliable QDCs during the epoch of the solar activity maximum if the time interval used for derivation of QDC is not less than 30 days. The method of the running QDC calculation implies the uninterrupted calculation of the QDC resulting from the continuous 1-day forward shift of the 30-day interval. The method makes it possible to derive automatically and on-line the quiet daily variation in the polar caps, where northward interplanetary magnetic field can generate large magnetic disturbances during periods of planetary magnetic quiescence. This is the main advantage of the running QDC method over other known methods. It is shown that along with the seasonal (from month to month) and the solar cycle (from year to year) changes, the QDC amplitude is modified on a time scale less then a month following solar activity flashes. (C) 2008 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.