Reply to Comment by Troshichev et al. on “The Use of Invalid Polar Cap South (PCS) Indices in Publications”

Abstract

AbstractThe publication by Stauning (2022b, 10.1029/2022JA030355): “The use of invalid Polar Cap South (PCS) indices in publications.” Journal of Geophysical Research: Space Physics, 127, e2022JA030355 is based on values of the PCS indices derived at the Arctic and Antarctic Research Institute (AARI) by the authors of the Comment and made available at the web portal maintained by the International Service of Geomagnetic Indices (ISGI) supported by the International Association for Geomagnetism and Aeronomy and also at the web portal maintained by AARI. One PCS version (“pre‐2021PCS”) comprises a series of indices spanning 1997–2021 published by AARI up to December 2021 and by ISGI up to April 2022. Since no other PCS version has been in play at AARI prior to 2021, this version, labeled “provisional” by ISGI, was beyond doubt used in the 9 publications listed in the commented publication by Stauning (2022b, 10.1029/2022JA030355). A modified PCS version (“post‐2021PCS”) was published by AARI in December 2021 and recently by ISGI (May 2022). The pre‐2021PCS version has been proven invalid by many examples of unfounded excessive index excursions and also by comparisons with indices of the post‐2021PCS index version. Its devaluating imprints on the publications issued by AARI between 2014 and 2021 are indisputable regardless of later modifications of the PCS index series.