Preprints
https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-2831
https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-2831
10 Oct 2024
 | 10 Oct 2024

Estimation of the 3-D geoelectric field at the Earth's surface using Spherical Elementary Current Systems

Liisa Juusola, Heikki Vanhamäki, Elena Marshalko, Mikhail Kruglyakov, and Ari Viljanen

Abstract. The geoelectric field drives geomagnetically induced currents (GIC) in technological conductor networks, which can affect the performance of critical ground infrastructure such as electric power transmission grids. The three-dimensional (3-D) electric field at the Earth's surface consists of an external divergence-free (DF) part due to temporally and spatially varying ionospheric and magnetospheric currents, an internal DF part due to temporally and spatially varying telluric currents, and a curl-free (CF) part due to charge accumulation at ground conductivity gradients. We have developed a new method for estimating these contributions. The external and internal parts of the DF electric field are calculated from the time derivative of the external and internal parts of the observed ground magnetic field, respectively, using DF two-dimensional (2-D) Spherical Elementary Current Systems (SECS). The horizontal surface CF electric field is calculated from the known surface DF electric field using coefficients that linearly relate the DF electric field to the CF electric field. The coefficiens were obtained from the 3-D induction model PGIEM2G (Kruglyakov and Kuvshinov, 2018). The calculations are carried out in the time domain and only two consecutive time steps of the observed magnetic field are needed to compute the surface electric field. The external part of the DF electric field is valid at and below the ionosphere, the internal part at and above the Earth's surface, and the CF part at the Earth's surface. A dense magnetometer network is a requirement for reliable results. The external and internal parts of the DF electric field are generally oppositely directed and have comparable amplitudes, both on the ground and in the ionosphere, indicating that both contributions are significant for the total DF electric field. The largest peaks of total DF electric field tend to occur when either the external or internal contribution is temporarily suppressed. At a given location, a DF electric field with a given amplitude can result in a total surface electric field amplitude with an orders of magnitude difference depending on the direction of the DF electric field with respect to the locally dominant conductivity gradient structure. The electric field calculation is computationally light, facilitating operational implementation of a near-real time 3-D surface electric field monitoring and derivation of long electric field time series.

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Journal article(s) based on this preprint

27 May 2025
Estimation of the 3-D geoelectric field at the Earth's surface using spherical elementary current systems
Liisa Juusola, Heikki Vanhamäki, Elena Marshalko, Mikhail Kruglyakov, and Ari Viljanen
Ann. Geophys., 43, 271–301, https://doi.org/10.5194/angeo-43-271-2025,https://doi.org/10.5194/angeo-43-271-2025, 2025
Short summary
Liisa Juusola, Heikki Vanhamäki, Elena Marshalko, Mikhail Kruglyakov, and Ari Viljanen

Interactive discussion

Status: closed

Comment types: AC – author | RC – referee | CC – community | EC – editor | CEC – chief editor | : Report abuse
  • RC1: 'Comment on egusphere-2024-2831', Anonymous Referee #1, 18 Oct 2024
  • RC2: 'Comment on egusphere-2024-2831', Anonymous Referee #2, 10 Nov 2024

Interactive discussion

Status: closed

Comment types: AC – author | RC – referee | CC – community | EC – editor | CEC – chief editor | : Report abuse
  • RC1: 'Comment on egusphere-2024-2831', Anonymous Referee #1, 18 Oct 2024
  • RC2: 'Comment on egusphere-2024-2831', Anonymous Referee #2, 10 Nov 2024

Peer review completion

AR: Author's response | RR: Referee report | ED: Editor decision | EF: Editorial file upload
ED: Publish subject to revisions (further review by editor and referees) (06 Dec 2024) by Alexa Halford
AR by Liisa Juusola on behalf of the Authors (09 Dec 2024)  Author's response   Author's tracked changes   Manuscript 
ED: Referee Nomination & Report Request started (31 Dec 2024) by Alexa Halford
RR by Anonymous Referee #1 (06 Jan 2025)
RR by Anonymous Referee #3 (08 Feb 2025)
ED: Publish subject to minor revisions (review by editor) (10 Feb 2025) by Alexa Halford
AR by Liisa Juusola on behalf of the Authors (03 Mar 2025)  Author's response   Author's tracked changes   Manuscript 
ED: Publish as is (07 Mar 2025) by Alexa Halford
AR by Liisa Juusola on behalf of the Authors (10 Mar 2025)  Manuscript 

Journal article(s) based on this preprint

27 May 2025
Estimation of the 3-D geoelectric field at the Earth's surface using spherical elementary current systems
Liisa Juusola, Heikki Vanhamäki, Elena Marshalko, Mikhail Kruglyakov, and Ari Viljanen
Ann. Geophys., 43, 271–301, https://doi.org/10.5194/angeo-43-271-2025,https://doi.org/10.5194/angeo-43-271-2025, 2025
Short summary
Liisa Juusola, Heikki Vanhamäki, Elena Marshalko, Mikhail Kruglyakov, and Ari Viljanen
Liisa Juusola, Heikki Vanhamäki, Elena Marshalko, Mikhail Kruglyakov, and Ari Viljanen

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Short summary
Interaction between the magnetic field of the rapidly varying electric currents in space and the conducting ground produces an electric field at the Earth's surface. This geoelectric field drives geomagnetically induced currents in technological conductor networks, which can affect the performance of critical ground infrastructure such as electric power transmission grids. We have developed a new method suitable for monitoring the geoelectric field based on ground magnetic field observations.
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