Abstract
Upper atmosphere whorls or vortices produced by an extreme geomagnetic
storm were reported for the first time by Evans, Correira et al (2024).
Evidence of the vortices was seen in the upper atmosphere’s neutral
composition, effective neutral temperature near 160 km, and ionospheric
electron densities. Evans, Correira et al (2024) speculated that a
combination of GOLD’s unique capabilities and the historical nature of
the Gannon Storm allowed for the previously unseen phenomena to be
observed. However, following a severe geomagnetic storm on 10 October
2024, evidence of similar upper atmosphere vortices were again observed
in GOLD ON2 and TDISK data. The appearance of vortices following another
severe geomagnetic storm during solar maximum prompted a review of the
GOLD dataset for additional instances, revealing the appearance of
vortices following several less intense geomagnetic storms during Solar
Cycle 25.