Space weather impact on ground-based technological systems

Abstract

This review, offered for the first time in the Russian scientific literature, is devoted to various aspects of the problem of the space weather impact on ground-based technological systems. Particular attention is paid to hazards to operation of power transmission lines, railway automation, and pipelines caused by geomagnetically induced currents (GIC) during geomagnetic disturbances. The review provides information on the main characteristics of geomagnetic field variability, on rapid field variations during various space weather mani-festations. The fundamentals of modeling geoelectric field disturbances based on magnetotelluric sounding algorithms are presented. The approaches to the assessment of possible extreme values of GIC are considered. Information about economic effects of space weather and GIC is collected. The current state and prospects of space weather forecasting, risk assessment for technological systems from GIC impact are discussed. While in space geophysics various models for predicting the intensity of magnetic storms and their related geomagnetic disturbances from observations of the interplanetary medium are being actively developed, these models cannot be directly used to predict the intensity and position of GIC since the description of the geomagnetic field variability requires the development of additional models. Revealing the fine structure of fast geomagnetic variations during storms and substorms and their induced GIC bursts appeared to be important not only from a practical point of view, but also for the development of fundamentals of near-Earth space dynamics. Unlike highly specialized papers on geophysical aspects of geomagnetic variations and engineering aspects of the GIC impact on operation of industrial transformers, the review is designed for a wider scientific and technical audience without sacrificing the scientific level of presentation. In other words, the geophysical part of the review is written for engineers, and the engineering part is written for geophysicists. Despite the evident applied orientation of the studies under consideration, they are not limited to purely engineering application of space geophysics results to the calculation of possible risks for technological systems, but also pose a number of fundamental scientific problems

Mapping a Magnetic Superstorm: March 1989 Geoelectric Hazards and Impacts on United States Power Systems

“…This distorts alternating‐current waveforms and can trip system relays, precipitating power‐system voltage collapse and heating, and, even, damage transformers (e.g., Abda et al., 2020; Kappenman, 2001; Molinski, 2002; Oyedokun and Cilliers, 2018; Samuelsson, 2013). Quantitative modeling of this convoluted chain of causes and effects, encompassing natural hazards and engineered systems, is an important objective of ongoing research and development (e.g., Gaunt, 2016; Pennington et al., 2021; Pilipenko, 2021; Pulkkinen et al., 2017; Thomson et al., 2010). Such work can be seen as timely in light of the fact that storms as intense (or more intense) as that of March 1989 are now known to occur rather frequently – on average, about every four solar cycles (Love, 2021).…”

Auroral Ionosphere Model with PC Index as an Input

“…Dynamics of the electric currents in the E layer are responsible for various ground magnetic disturbances [10][11][12]. Ionospheric currents, associated with strong magnetospheric perturbations, can induce the harmful parasitic electric currents in long technological structures on the Earth's surface-communication lines, electrical power systems, and pipelines [3,13,14]. Additionally, the unsteady dynamics of sporadic particle precipitation in the E layer can lead to a rapid change in the radio wave propagation conditions [15], complicating the diagnostics and forecasting of high frequency radio paths.…”

Conjugate properties of Pi3/Ps6 pulsations according to Antarctica-Greenland observations

“…These pulsations represent a quasi-periodic sequence of non-harmonic impulses. Due to steep wave fronts, the impulsive Pi3 pulsations induce the largest bursts of magnetic field variability (dB/dt) associated with geomagnetically induced currents (GICs) in electric power transmission lines (see references in review [Pilipenko, 2021].…”

“…Interhemispheric observations may provide additional clues to the physics of Pi3 pulsations. Such approach was fruitful for the study of drivers of Pc5 pulsations and ULF transients [Pilipenko, 2021].…”