|
Remote Differential Magnetometer System in Support of Space Weather Impact Modelling |
|
Martyn, T.P., Swan. A.P., Taylor, T.L., Turbitt, C.W. |
|
British Geological Survey, The Lyell Centre, Riccarton, Edinburgh EH14 4AP, United Kingdom |
|
|
|
The impact of geomagnetically induced currents (GIC) caused by severe space weather events on ground-based infrastructure is a well known phenomenon that, in extreme cases, has led to significant disruption to power supplies and technologies. To better understand the effect of large magnetic storms in the United Kingdom, a consortium of UK space weather research institutes have jointly secured funding under Natural Environment Research Council-sponsored research grant NE/P017231/1. The Space Weather Impact on Ground-based Systems (SWIGS) project comprises four work packages directed towards improving understanding and forecasting of GIC; from magnetospheric-ionospheric sources to the impact on infrastructure such as power lines, pipelines and railways. As part of WP2, looking at the solid earth response to magnetic storms, the British Geological Survey (BGS) plans to deploy a number of remote monitoring sites close to grounded nodes in the UK power distribution network since the lack of readily available GIC data from network operators presently limits the verification of GIC modellling in the UK power grid. These sites should provide proxy measurements of the induced currents in the adjacent high-voltage overhead lines. The proposed monitor is based on a differential magnetic variometer system deployed on the Southern African power grid in 2013 & 2015. Here we describe the instruments, recorders, installation and telemetry adopted by BGS to meet the project specification of time-stamped, one-second samples transmitting in near real-time from a set of six sites self-sufficient in power for up to six months. The bandwidth of interest of the study is between 10 and 10,000 seconds and the required resolution of signal is of the order of 1nT. |
|
Instrumentation |
|
oral |
|
|