Comments to paper of P. Stauning “The Polar Cap (PC) Index, Invalid
Index Series and a Different Approaches”
Abstract
The paper examines the essence of discrepancies between the IAGA
approved PC index and the approach put forward by Stauning
(2020). The IAGA endorsed PC index was designed to serve as a
proxy for energy that enters into the magnetosphere during solar
wind-magnetosphere coupling. It means that the ground-based PC
index should be indicative of the magnetosphere state in the real time.
With this aim a special “running QDC derivation” procedure has been
elaborated (Troshichev et al., 2006) to determine a proper quiet
daily curve (QDC) as a level of reference for evaluation of magnetic
disturbances generated by solar wind. The most significant evidence of
validity of the IAGA endorsed PC index is the statistically
justified correspondence between the PC index changes and
development of disturbances in the magnetosphere (with correlation as
high as R=0.94). The alternative procedure (Stauning, 2011) also
used QDC as level of reference, but this QDC does not consist with the
PC index designation. The announcement (Stauning, 2020) on
invalid IAGA-endorsed PC index series seems be devoid of any
background.