Definition
- Geomagnetically induced current (GIC):
-
Intense, low-frequency, quasi-direct currents flowing in the conductor systems owing to rapid changes of the geomagnetic fields
- Space weather:
-
Dynamic variations at the Sun and in interplanetary space disturbing the near- Earth space environment creating conditions that are hostile to space-borne and ground-based technological systems and can even impose danger to human life
Introduction
Geomagnetically induced currents (GICs) are intense, low-frequency (~0.001–1 Hz) currents flowing in Earth-ground conductor systems owing to rapid changes of the geomagnetic fields (dB/dt > 1 nT s−1) (Campbell 1980; Akasofu and Aspnes 1982). According to Faraday’s law of induction, a fluctuating geomagnetic field induces geoelectric fields which drive GICs in the ground and electrical power systems. The induced currents are essentially quasi-DC as their frequencies are much less than the frequency of the electrical grids operating at 50 or 60 Hz.
Intense...
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Bibliography
Akasofu SI, Aspnes JD (1982) Auroral effects on power transmission line systems. Nature 295:136–137. https://doi.org/10.1038/295136a0
Allen J, Frank L, Sauer H, Reiff P (1989) Effectsof the March 1989 solar activity. EOS Trans 70:1479–1488. https://doi.org/10.1029/89EO00409
Araki T (1977) Global structure of geomagnetic sudden commencements. Planet Space Sci 25(4):373–384. https://doi.org/10.1016/0032-0633(77)90053-8
Blake JB, Kolassinski WA, Fillius RA, Mullen EG (1992) Injection of electrons and protons with energies of tens of MeV into L < 3 on March 24, 1991. Geophys Res Lett 19:821–824. https://doi.org/10.1029/92GL00624
Boteler DH (2001) Assessment of geomagnetic hazard to power systems in Canada. Nat Hazards 23:101–120. https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1011194414259
Boteler DH (2019) A 21st century view of the March 1989 magnetic storm. Space Weather 17:1427–1441. https://doi.org/10.1029/2019SW002278
Burlaga LF, Sittler E, Mariani F, Schwenn R (1981) Magnetic loop behind an interplanetary shock: voyager, Helios, and IMP 8 observations. J Geophys Res 86:6673–6684. https://doi.org/10.1029/JA086iA08p06673
Campbell WH (1980) Observation of electric currents in the Alaska oil pipeline resulting from auroral electrojet current sources. Geophys J Int 61:437–449
Carter BA, Yizengaw E, Pradipta R, Halford AJ, Norman R, Zhang K (2015) Interplanetary shocks and the resulting geomagnetically induced currents at the equator. Geophys Res Lett 42:6554–6559. https://doi.org/10.1002/2015GL065060
Clilverd MA, Rodger CJ, Brundell JB, Dalzell M, Martin I, MacManus DH et al (2018) Long-lasting geomagnetically induced currents and harmonic distortion observed in New Zealand during the 7–8 September 2017 disturbed period. Space Weather 16:704–717. https://doi.org/10.1029/2018SW001822
Dungey JW (1961) Interplanetary magnetic field and the auroral zones. Phys Rev Lett 6:47–48. https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.6.47
Erinmez IA, Kappenman JG, Radasky WA (2002) Management of the geomagnetically induced current risks on the national grid company’s electric power transmission system. J Atmos Solar Terr Phys 64:743–756
Gaunt CT (2014) Reducing uncertainty – responses for electricity utilities to severe solar storms. J. Space Weather Space Clim 4:A01. https://doi.org/10.1051/swsc/2013058
Gaunt CT (2016) Why space weather is relevant to electrical power systems. Space Weather 14:2–9. https://doi.org/10.1002/2015SW001306
Heppner JP (1955) Note on the occurrence of world-wide SSCs during the onset of negative bays at college, Alaska. J Geophys Res 60:29–32. https://doi.org/10.1029/JZ060i001p00029
Kappenman JG (2006) Great geomagnetic storms and extreme impulsive geomagnetic field disturbance events – an analysis of observational evidence including the great storm of May 1921. Adv Space Res 38:188–199. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.asr.2005.08.055
Kappenman JG, Norr SR, Sweezy GA, Carlson DL, Albertson VD, Harder JE, Damsky BL (1991) GIC mitigation: a neutral blocking/bypass device to prevent the flow of GIC in power systems. IEEE Trans Power Delivery 6(3):1271–1281. https://doi.org/10.1109/61.85876
Kennel CF, Edmiston JP, Hada T (1985) A quarter century of collisionless shock research. In: Stone RG, Tsurutani BT (eds) Collisionless shocks in the heliosphere: a tutorial review, Geophysical monograph series, vol 34. AGU, Washington, pp 1–36
Kozyra JU, Liemohn MW (2003) Ring current energy input and decay. Space Sci Rev 109:105–131. https://doi.org/10.1023/B:SPAC.0000007516.10433.ad
Liu CM, Wang X, Wang H, Zhao H (2018) Quantitative influence of coast effect on geomagnetically induced currents in power grids: a case study. J Space Weather Space Clim 8:A60. https://doi.org/10.1051/swsc/2018046
Loomis E (1861) On the great auroral exhibition of Aug. 28th to Sept. 4, 1859, and on auroras generally. Am J Sci 82:318–335
Ngwira CM, Pulkkinen A, Kuznetsova MM, Glocer A (2014) Modeling extreme “Carrington-type” space weather events using three-dimensional MHD code simulations. J Geophys Res 119:4456–4474. https://doi.org/10.1002/2013JA019661
Oliveira DM, Arel D, Raeder J, Zesta E, Ngwira CM, Carter BA et al (2018) Geomagnetically induced currents caused by interplanetary shocks with different impact angles and speeds. Space Weather 16:636–647. https://doi.org/10.1029/2018SW001880
Pirjola R (2000) Geomagnetically induced currents during magnetic storms. IEEE Trans Plasma Sci 28:1867–1873. https://doi.org/10.1109/27.902215
Pulkkinen A, Lindahl S, Viljanen A, Pirjola R (2005) Geomagnetic storm of 29–31 October 2003: geomagnetically induced currents and their relation to problems in the Swedish high-voltage power transmission system. Space Weather 3:S08C03. https://doi.org/10.1029/2004SW000123
Pulkkinen A, Bernabeu E, Thomson A, Viljanen A, Pirjola R, Boteler D, Eichner J, Cilliers PJ, Welling D, Savani NP, Weigel RS, Love JJ, Balch C, Ngwira CM, Crowley G, Schultz A, Kataoka R, Anderson B, Fugate D, Simpson JJ, Mac Alester M (2017) Geomagnetically induced currents: science, engineering, and applications readiness. Space Weather 15:828–856. https://doi.org/10.1002/2016SW001501
Royal Academy of Engineering report (2013) Extreme space weather impacts on engineered systems and infrastructure. Royal Academy of Engineering, London
Thomson AWP, Gaunt CT, Cilliers P, Wild JA, Opperman B, McKinnell LA, Kotze P, Ngwira CM, Lotz SI (2010) Present day challenges in understanding the geomagnetic hazard tonational power grids. Adv Space Res 45(9):1182–1190. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.asr.2009.11.023
Tsurutani BT, Gonzalez WD (1997) The interplanetary causes of magnetic storms: a review. In: Tsurutani BT et al (eds) Magnetic storms, Geophysical monograph series, vol 98. AGU, Washington, DC, pp 77–89. https://doi.org/10.1029/GM098p0077.
Tsurutani BT, Lakhina GS (2014) An extreme coronal mass ejection and consequences for the magnetosphere and Earth. Geophys Res Lett 41. https://doi.org/10.1002/2013GL058825
Tsurutani BT, Meng CI (1972) Interplanetary magnetic-field variation and substorm activity. J Geophys Res 77(16):2964–2970
Tsurutani BT, Gonzalez WD, Lakhina GS, Alex S (2003) The extreme magnetic storm of 1–2 September 1859. J Geophys Res 108:1268. https://doi.org/10.1029/2002JA009504
Tsurutani BT, Lakhina GS, Hajra R (2020) The physics of space weather/solar-terrestrial physics (STP): what we know now and what the current and future challenges are. Nonlinear Processes Geophys 27:75–119. https://doi.org/10.5194/npg-27-75-2020
Viljanen A, Pirjola R (1994) Geomagnetically induced currents in the Finnish high-voltage power system. Surv Geophys 15:383–408. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00665999
Viljanen A, Tanskanen EI, Pulkkinen A (2006) Relation between substorm characteristics and rapid temporal variations of the ground magnetic field. Ann Geophys 24:725–733
Wik M, Viljanen A, Pirjola R, Pulkkinen A, Wintoft P, Lundstedt H (2008) Calculation of geomagnetically induced currents in the 400kVpower grid in southern Sweden. Space Weather 6:S07005. https://doi.org/10.1029/2007SW000343
Zhang JJ, Wang C, Sun TR, Liu CM, Wang KR (2015) GIC due to storm sudden commencement in low-latitude high-voltage power network in China: observation and simulation. Space Weather 13:643–655. https://doi.org/10.1002/2015SW001263
Acknowledgments
GSL thanks Indian National Science Academy, New Delhi, for support under the INSA-Honorary Scientist Scheme. The work of RH is funded by the Science & Engineering Research Board (SERB), a statutory body of the Department of Science & Technology (DST), Government of India through Ramanujan Fellowship. Portions of the research has been performed at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology under contract with NASA.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2020 Springer Nature Switzerland AG
About this entry
Cite this entry
Lakhina, G.S., Hajra, R., Tsurutani, B.T. (2020). Geomagnetically Induced Currents. In: Gupta, H. (eds) Encyclopedia of Solid Earth Geophysics. Encyclopedia of Earth Sciences Series. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-10475-7_245-1
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-10475-7_245-1
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Cham
Print ISBN: 978-3-030-10475-7
Online ISBN: 978-3-030-10475-7
eBook Packages: Springer Reference Earth and Environm. ScienceReference Module Physical and Materials ScienceReference Module Earth and Environmental Sciences