Let's assume the electrons were lost to the atmosphere because they encountered an EMIC wave. We can make some new hypotheses. It looks like EMIC waves may have a small radial extent in the magnetosphere. Other studies agree with this hypothesis. Another interpretation is that EMIC waves may have a very long longitudinal length. So, in other words, EMIC waves maybe like a very thin shell - well have of a shell. Imagine that you've cut an onion in half and remove just one layer. That one-half layer is like a region of EMIC waves... maybe. It might be smaller or perhaps larger at different times.
So while this paper had some significant observations of the particles, we still have some more work to do. More and more evidence, like that shown in this paper, is suggesting that EMIC waves cause the loss of magnetospheric electrons to the atmosphere. It looks like EMIC waves happen during the day and in the evening, but less so at midnight.
Why is this important? Why should we keep looking into this? We care because EMIC waves can push very energetic particles into the atmosphere. We want to remove these very energetic particles from the magnetosphere because they can harm our satellites. But when some of the most energetic electrons interact with the atmosphere, they ultimately contribute to radiation at the altitudes where planes fly. A few of us are starting to look at how often this occurs. And the results of this paper suggest that most people need not worry about this! These events are very localized. The likelihood of a plane flying through one of them is small. If you happen to fly through this region, no worries, it's like getting an extra X-ray this year. But if you are a jet setter, you may be getting the dose of an additional 10 or 100 X-rays. That might be a problem as it can increase your likelihood of getting skin cancer.
There is a solution! If we can predict when and where these events occur, because they are so localized, we may be able to let pilots know to fly around them. But, you ask, what if there is no way to fly around them. There are other potential solutions. The X-rays are relatively easily absorbed by the atmosphere. If we know the energy of the electrons, we might be able to fly at a lower altitude and fly under the event. These events are often short as well. It might be easy enough to just delay the flight for a bit - an annoyance for sure, but better safe than sorry is what I say.
So there is a lot of work to do. There is a lot we need to learn before we can be confident of how this work may help people. But if we stop trying to learn more about this now - then we'll never know.