Possible ground level enhancements of solar cosmic rays in 2012

It is commonly accepted that two ground level enhancements of solar cosmic rays (GLEs) have so far been recorded in solar cycle 24: one on May 17, 2012, and one on January 6, 2014. The current solar activity cycle is considered to lag behind previous cycles in both quantity and magnitude of GLEs. Considerably more (around 30) solar proton events have been recorded from satellites. In this work, we analyze the patterns of cosmic ray intensity over the worldwide neutron monitor network during those events of 2012 in which considerable increases in the integral proton fluxes with energies of >100 MeV were observed, i.e., the events of January 27, March 7, and March 13, 2012. All of these events may be considered possible GLEs. More GLEs have apparently been observed during solar cycle 24 than is widely recognized.