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Location of geomagnetic disturbances in relation to the field aligned current boundary.
  • +3
  • Gemma E. Bower,
  • Suzie Imber,
  • Stephen Milan,
  • Audrey Schillings,
  • Amy L Fleetham,
  • Jesper W. Gjerloev
Gemma E. Bower
University of Leicester

Corresponding Author:[email protected]

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Suzie Imber
Unknown
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Stephen Milan
University of Leicester
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Audrey Schillings
University of UmeƄ
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Amy L Fleetham
University of Leicester
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Jesper W. Gjerloev
APL-JHU
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Abstract

Geomagnetic disturbances (GMDs) are rapid fluctuations in the strength and direction of the magnetic field near the surface of the Earth which can cause electric currents to be induced in the ground. The geomagnetically induced currents (GICs) can cause damage to pipelines and power grids. A detection algorithm has been developed to identify rapid changes in 10 second averaged magnetometer data. This higher resolution data is important in capturing the most rapid changes associated with extreme GIC events. The algorithm has been used on an array of ground-based magnetometers from SuperMAG data from 2010 to 2022, creating a new list of global GMDs. Data from the Active Magnetosphere and Planetary Electrodynamics Response Experiment (AMPERE) is used to place the observed GMDs in the context of the global pattern of magnetosphere-ionosphere field-aligned currents (FACs). A dawn sector population of GMDs is found to lie near the boundary between the region 1 and region 2 FACs, while a pre-midnight sector population is found to occur poleward of the FAC boundary on region 1 upward FACs. It is also shown that the latitude of the GMDs expands with the FAC boundary and their occurrence peaks around 77 degrees magnetic latitude.
22 Jul 2024Submitted to ESS Open Archive
22 Jul 2024Published in ESS Open Archive