Analysis of geomagnetic storm shows need for mitigation during ionospheric disruptions

During the geomagnetic storm that took place May 10–11, 2024, GPS users reported significant positioning errors and outages. In particular, farmers in the Central United States reported difficulty in getting a fix with their tractors and other farm equipment.

[...]

In the soutwestern states, the GPS position errors were elevated 10 to 20 meters because of the enhanced plasma density.

Then, on May 11, intense auroral activity caused rapid enhancements in the ionospheric plasma, leading to abrupt position errors of 10 meters. Network‐based position systems likely encountered even longer duration of position errors because these ionospheric disturbances are localized.

[...]

“The study underscores the need for accurate ionospheric state specification, improved signal processing technique, real‐time ionospheric corrections, and optimized satellite selection algorithms to enhance navigation resilience during severe space weather events,” the authors conclude.