EPSS Colloquium winter-2025
Space Weather Effects from Magnetic Induction
Jan. 28, 2025,
3:30 p.m. - 4:30 p.m.
Slichter Hall # 3853
Presented By:
Prof. Martin Connors
Athabasca University
Space weather includes many effects, but those on technological systems at ground level are most pronouncedly associated with magnetic induction. Electric fields induced by changing magnetic fields are often in undesired places and at problematic frequencies, thus usually having a negative effect on large ground infrastructure such as electric distribution networks. Their effects build up in large systems but are small locally, making them hard to measure. Historically, the field of magnetotellurics (MT) has measured these fields along with magnetic fields, allowing Earth structure to be inferred. In MT, satisfactory results are often obtained with simplifications such as vertically incident waves and associated neglect of any vertical magnetic component. For space weather purposes it is possible that “source effects” violating these assumptions are important. Recent work on this will be described, along with examination of the May 2024 “Gannon” storm, including with electric field and power network measurements.