What is the Kp-index?

The Kp-index is the global geomagnetic activity index that is based on 3-hour measurements from ground-based magnetometers around the world. Each station is calibrated according to its latitude and reports a certain K-indice depending on the geomagnetic activity measured at the location of the magnetometer. The K-index itself is a three hour long quasi-logarithmic local index of the geomagnetic activity at the given location and time compared to a calm day curve. A magnetometer measures the maximum deviation of the horizontal component of the magnetic field at its location and reports this. The global Kp-index is then determined with an algorithm that puts the reported K-values of every station together. The Kp-index ranges from 0 to 9 where a value of 0 means that there is very little geomagnetic activity and a value of 9 means extreme geomagnetic storming.

The Estimated 3-hour Planetary Kp-index.

The Estimated 3-hour Planetary Kp-index is a preliminary Kp-index derived at the NOAA Space Weather Prediction Center using minute by minute data from a number of ground-based magnetometers that relay data in near-real time. These observatories are located in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Germany and Australia.

The Estimated 3-hour Planetary Kp-index gives us a quick indication of the strongest observed geomagnetic activity over a 3-hour period. These periods are: 0000-0300 UTC, 0300-0600 UTC, etc. The maximum positive and negative deviations during the 3-hour period are added together to determine the total maximum fluctuation. These maximum deviations may occur anytime during the 3-hour period. During periods with high geomagnetic activity, the NOAA Space Weather Prediction Center will send out alerts based on this near-real time minute by minute data as soon as a certain alert threshold (Kp4 or higher) has been reached. The image below shows a plot of the Estimated 3-hour Planetary Kp-index from October 2003 with 3 days of intense geomagnetic storming.