European Magnetometer Networks and Ground Based Space Weather

European Magnetometer Networks and Ground Based Space Weather Monitoring Alan Thomson European Space Weather Week 2006 Major Themes in This Presentation: 1. Continental scale often needed to monitor space weather ground effects. 2. International co-operation is therefore essential. 3. Successful magnetometer network collaborations have operated over decades (possible ‘blueprint’ for building wider space weather networks). 4. Ever-changing technical capabilities implies that user feedback is key. © NERC All rights reserved

Acknowledgments • Dr Jim Wild, University of Lancaster, UK (on behalf of Prof. F. Honary, PI, SAMNET) • Dr Ari Viljanen, Finnish Meteorological Institute, Helsinki, Finland (PI, IMAGE) Dr Jurgen Watermann, Danish Meteorological Institute, Copenhagen, Denmark (Project Scientist, Greenland Magnetometer Array) © NERC All rights reserved

The Global Context: Magnetometer Network Examples 1. National Geomagnetic Observatory Networks – Issues: Regional/Global Field Modelling & Baseline Stability 2. Space Weather ‘Flavoured’ Networks: Alaska: Geophys. Inst. Mag. Array Canada: Canopus Russia AE Stations: PURAES CHINA low-latitude: SMALL Antarctica/Australasia: Geos. Austral. TIK CCS DIK © NERC All rights reserved

• History/Development • Commenced 1 st October 1987 (as a UK ‘national facility’ for STP) at 5 sec sampling Since 1995 sampling at 1 second (H, D, Z) Operated by Univ. York until 2003; Univ. Lancaster since 2003 Funding may end in March 2007 (through restructuring of UK STP science) Also stores (some) IMAGE and BGS magnetometer data at 1 second sampling Instruments • SAMNET Variometer stations equipped with fluxgates (of Ukranian and York design) Communications Dial-up modem (and daily processed) Only Lancaster site is real-time (for ‘Aurora Watch’ http: //www. dcs. lancs. ac. uk/iono/aurorawatch/) • Many Applications Substorm/Pi 2 timing; current wedge detection/location ULF waves ‘Magnetoseismological’ study of plasma mass loading of geomagnetic field lines © NERC All rights reserved

http: //www. dcs. lancs. ac. uk/iono/samnet/ © NERC All rights reserved

• • • History/Development IMAGE International Magnetospheric Study (1976); EISCAT (1982); IMAGE (1991); MIRACLE Instruments Fluxgates (Tromso, DMI) Data Rates and Communications 10 sec, some 1 sec; ISDN download per day; real time displays from host institutes Data server at FMI, which is a kind of "regional data centre". There are the following "nodes" gathering data: TGO: 11 Norwegian sites FMI: 10 Finnish sites (+ 1 in Norway + 1 in Estonia) RF/Kiruna: 2 Swedish sites and SGU/Uppsala: 2 Swedish sites GFZ/Niemegk: Hornsund (via IGF/Warsaw) PGI/Apatity: Lovozero All contributors check their own data before FMI adds them to the final database. Data are transferred to the nodes via internet or ISDN. • Applications Both events and statistical studies Improved knowledge of the full 3 -D ionospheric current system derived from combined magnetometer, radar and satellite measurements © NERC All rights reserved

MIRACLE: http: //space. fmi. fi/MIRACLE/ IMAGE: http: //space. fmi. fi/image/index. html © NERC All

Greenland (DMI; SPRL, Univ. Michigan) • History/Development Qeqertarsauq (1926); Qaanaq (1947); Narsarsuaq (1967) • Instruments Triaxial fluxgate magnetometer (Model FGE, DMI) • © NERC All rights reserved Applications Ionospheric current systems and external field studies (e. g. collaborations with IMAGE, MACCS (USA), CARISMA (Canada))

Greenland Magnetometry Dotted grid geographic latitude and longitude Dashed lines corrected geomagnetic latitude (epoch 2000. 0) Dotted line best-fit great circle (west coast stations) Blue circles DMI variometer stations Red circles MAGIC sites (SPRL, Univ. of Michigan) Blue triangles DMI geomagnetic observatories Blue diamond Sondrestrom Research Facility Full circles data from preceding day are transmitted to DMI via modem and telephone line (presently every morning around 03 UT) Open circles data are stored locally and sent to DMI via snail mail (up to several months delay) Black Roman data are transmitted to DMI in near real time (presently every 15 min) Courtesy of Jurgen Watermann (jfw@dmi. dk) http: //www. dmi. dk/projects/chain/

DMI Greenland Magnetometers sensor type axes misalignment sensitivity long-term drift temperature resolution sampling rate acquisition final resolution time accuracy data delivery delay service interval dual-core tri-axial fluxgate with main field compensation gravity-controlled gimbal system at several stations < 2 mrad 0. 1 n. T broadband noise (~DC – 1 Hz) < 3 n. T / year < 0. 2 n. T / ºC (sensor) < 0. 1 n. T / ºC (electronics) 0. 1 ºC 20 s and 1 s (dual acquisition system) digital, 16 -bit signed integer 0. 25 n. T at 20 -s sampling rate 0. 125 n. T at 1 -s sampling rate typically ± 1 s (precision clock), GPS implementation under consideration east coast several months, west coast 1 -2 months (unless telephone transmission) site visit by DMI engineer once every ~5 years Courtesy of Jurgen Watermann (jfw@dmi. dk) http: //www. dmi. dk/projects/chain/

• INTERMAGNET History • IAGA discussions in 1986 (Ottawa) Pilot project connecting US-UK in 1987 by satellite IAGA sanctioned INTERMAGNET in 1990 Founders were US, UK, France, Canada Key Idea = Establishing standards across the community Applications Global and regional geomagnetic field modelling Space weather studies • www. intermagnet. org © NERC All rights reserved

Summary of INTERMAGNET Operations: A Template for Space Weather Network Building Samples at 10 seconds or faster - filtered to oneminute values Preliminary data to a GIN within 72 hours Observatory Definitive data GIN Individual research scientists, “value-added” suppliers of near-real-time data; e. g. for activity indices, ionospheric current models – space weather science Users of definitive data; Data transmission by satellite, Annual e. g. for reference email, internet geomagnetic field models CD-ROM - geophysics © NERC All rights reserved

Practical Activities Technical help and training Measurement standards Instruments and techniques © NERC All rights reserved Applications to join Operations Committee Technical Manual Data supply: GINs/Web Data formats CD-ROM

Intermagnet: Shaping The Future • Technical Developments What do users want? 1 second data feasible Better instrumentation and communication • Continued Observatory Network Growth Smaller scale field variations © NERC All rights reserved Countries Observatories

European SW Networks: Issues and Prospects Existing magnetometer networks may be a template to help develop new or more extensive ground based space weather monitoring networks. But there are questions to be asked: • Who are the data users? • What do they want from magnetometer or more general spaceweather networks? • What is the strength (e. g. continuity) of demand for data? • What is the reliability and quality of data supply? • What is the maturity/adaptability of data collection and supply? • What technical innovations are needed/foreseen? • Higher sampling rates; novel data dissemination methods • …. © NERC All rights reserved

Magnetometer Networks: For Space Weather Science and Applications • The importance of near-real-time data for science & services related to space weather hazard is clear, for example, … Magnetic activity index production (both near real time and definitive) • ‘Nowcasting’ • • e. g. in co-operation with the International Service for Geomagnetic Indices (ISGI) General monitoring of magnetic conditions Modelling of the effects of observed geomagnetic field variations (e. g. online rapid ‘forensic analysis’ of GIC, or LEO satellite drag) Forecasting • Many applications for geomagnetic indices & field variations © NERC All rights reserved

European Space Weather Week 2006 Real Time Magnetograms 2 Minute Update © NERC All

European Space Weather Week 2006 BGS Real Time Magnetograms 2 Minute Update © NERC

Geomagnetically Induced Currents: ‘Nowcasts’ and Forensic Analysis of Recent Events GIC data Equivalent currents

Summary • For the scientists who run magnetometer or ground based space weather networks, the possibilities for developments (scientific, technical and for applications) are probably clear. • But what do the space weather data users want in detail? This will shape how/what network scientists and technicians actually choose to do next. For example Intermagnet would like to know if there is a user community for 1 -sec data, and what format, data communications systems are needed. Please contact Intermagnet with your ideas: Simon Flower: smf@bgs. ac. uk. © NERC All rights reserved

European Magnetometer Networks and Ground Based Space Weather Monitoring Alan Thomson European Space Weather Week 2006 Major Themes in This Presentation: 1. Continental scale often needed to monitor space weather ground effects. 2. International co-operation is therefore essential. 3. Successful magnetometer network collaborations have operated over decades (possible ‘blueprint’ for building wider space weather networks). 4. Ever-changing technical capabilities implies that user feedback is key. © NERC All rights reserved