Open AccessThe latitudinal variation of geoelectromagnetic disturbances during large ( Dst ≤−100 nT) geomagnetic storms
Author(s) -
Woodroffe J. R.,
Morley S. K.,
Jordanova V. K.,
Henderson M. G.,
Cowee M. M.,
Gjerloev J. G.
Publication year - 2016
Publication title -
space weather
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.254
H-Index - 56
ISSN - 1542-7390
DOI - 10.1002/2016sw001376
Subject(s) - geomagnetic storm , earth's magnetic field , space weather , magnetometer , latitude , amplitude , range (aeronautics) , storm , geodesy , probabilistic logic , geomagnetic latitude , variation (astronomy) , atmospheric sciences , low latitude , meteorology , environmental science , physics , mathematics , geophysics , geology , statistics , astrophysics , magnetic field , engineering , quantum mechanics , aerospace engineering
Geoelectromagnetic disturbances (GMDs) are an important consequence of space weather that can directly impact many types of terrestrial infrastructure. In this paper, we analyze 30 years of SuperMAG magnetometer data from the range of magnetic latitudes 20°≤ λ ≤75° to derive characteristic latitudinal profiles for median GMD amplitudes. Based on this data, we obtain a parameterization of these latitudinal profiles of different types of GMDs, providing an analytical fit with D s t ‐dependent parameters. We also obtain probabilistic estimates for the magnitudes of “100 year” GMDs, finding thatB ̇ = 6.9 (3.60–12.9) nT/s should be expected at 45°≤ λ < 50°, exceeding the 5 nT/s threshold for dangerous inductive heating.