In order to find out whether the geomagnetic storms and large-mega earthquakes are correlated or not, statistical studies based on Superposed Epoch Analysis (SEA), significance analysis, and Z test have been applied to the Dst index data and M ≥ 7.0 global earthquakes during 1957–2020. The results indicate that before M ≥ 7.0 global earthquakes, there are clearly higher probabilities of geomagnetic storms than after them. Geomagnetic storms are more likely to be related with shallow earthquakes rather than deep ones. Further statistical investigations of the results based on cumulative storm hours show consistency with those based on storm days, suggesting that the high probability of geomagnetic storms prior to large-mega earthquakes is significant and robust. Some possible mechanisms such as a reverse piezoelectric effect and/or electroosmotic flow are discussed to explain the statistical correlation. The result might open new perspectives in the complex process of earthquakes and the Lithosphere-Atmosphere-Ionosphere (LAI) coupling.

The observations of Global Positioning System (GPS) scintillation, Total Electron Content (TEC) depletion, the periodic structure of TEC and Rate of TEC Index (ROTI) over south China were presented. Data were collected from GPS observations at stations of Shenzhen and Guangzhou from 2011 to 2012. This study reported that the ratio of simultaneous occurrences of TEC depletions with strong scintillations was higher than that of TEC depletions with weak scintillations in vernal and autumnal equinoxes of 2011 over South China. The number of the periodic structures of TEC with depletion contained was greater than that with no depletion contained corresponding to strong scintillations. The structure of the slab of plasma irregularities could be responsible for the simultaneous occurrences of TEC depletion with strong scintillations and ROTI. Before and during the occurrences of strong scintillation, there was Large-Scale Wave Structure (LSWS) which provided the seed ionization perturbation to trigger ESF irregularities and contributed to the periodic structure of TEC.

Substorms are energy storage and dissipation processes that occur in planetary magnetospheres accompanied by numerous phenomena, such as magnetic dipolarizations, plasma sheet thinning and thickening, magnetic flux ropes, and plasmoid ejections. Recent MESSENGER observations have revealed substorm activity in Mercury’s near magnetotail, with average durations of 2–3 minutes for both the growth and expansion phases. Herein, we report MESSENGER spacecraft observations of sporadic and short-term energy dissipation processes during the substorm expansion phase in Mercury’s magnetotail. Three magnetic dipolarizations lasting for ∼4 minutes were detected during the expansion phase and manifested as step-like enhancements in the northward component of the magnetic field. The magnetic field strength decreased during each dipolarization, indicating an intermittent release of magnetic energy. They arise owing to multiple magnetic pileup effects caused by planetward bursty bulk flows ejected from distant magnetotail reconnections. Additionally, in close proximity to each dipolarization, we observed the occurrence of pulse-like fluctuations in the B _y component. These new MESSENGER observations suggest that during the expansion phase of Mercury’s substorm, the energy dissipation can be caused by multiple local transient processes, although the duration is much shorter than that of Earth.