Ground Effects Topical Group (GETG) ESWW4 Brussels 2007 Spokespersons :

Ground Effects Topical Group (GETG) ESWW4 Brussels 2007 Spokespersons: Risto Pirjola (FMI, Finland), 2003-2006 Alan Thomson (BGS, UK), 2006- http://www.lund.irf.se/HeliosHome/groundeffectstg.html

Agenda • 1. List of members, Terms of Reference, Review of Actions • Please add name/affiliation to circulation list • 2. GETG Web Activities • Home Site update (Magnus Wik) • Wikipedia articles on ‘Space Weather’ and ‘GIC’ • 3. GETG and Engineering Conferences/Journals • Risto Pirjola – EUROEM 2008 • 4. Space situational awareness and the SWWT • Mike Hapgood (Chair SWWT) • 5. Reports on new research work and publications (2006-2007) • Alan Thomson (UK) • Larisa Trichtchenko (Canada) • Pavel Hejda (CZ) • Jurgen Watermann (DMI) • Risto Pirjola (FMI) • 6. Any Other Business

List of present members (in alphabetical order): Esko Arajärvi (Finland) esko.arajarvi@iki.fi David Boteler (Canada) dboteler@nrcan.gc.ca Ellen Clarke (UK) ecla@bgs.ac.uk Eugenia Eroshenko (Russia) erosh@izmiran.ru Hans Gleisner (Denmark) hgl@dmi.dk Pavel Hejda (Czech Republic) ph@ig.cas.cz Ingmar Kronfeldt (Sweden) ikronfeldt@mac.com Henrik Lundstedt (Sweden) henrik@lund.irf.se Allan McKay (UK) aljm@bgs.ac.uk Marlon Núñez (Spain) mnunez@lcc.uma.es Risto Pirjola (Finland) risto.pirjola@fmi.fi Antti Pulkkinen (Finland/USA) antti.pulkkinen@gsfc.nasa.gov Håkan Swahn (Sweden) hakan.swahn@okg.eon.se Alan Thomson (UK) awpt@bgs.ac.uk Larisa Trichtchenko (Canada) ltrichtc@nrcan.gc.ca Ari Viljanen (Finland) ari.viljanen@fmi.fi Jürgen Watermann (Denmark) jfw@dmi.dk Magnus Wik (Sweden) magnus@lund.irf.se Peter Wintoft (Sweden) peter@lund.irf.se

Topical Groups General Terms of Reference • Open to all SWWT members • Maintain regular email discussion • Responsible for • Initiating thematic projects • Discussing progress/advances • Promoting related ESA space weather activities within Europe and to other communities

Topical Groups • Fundamental Research (e.g. solar, S-T, including future missions and instrumentation), H. Lundstedt • Ground Effects (GIC, prospecting, tourism), A Thomson • Atmospheric Effects (including Drag) • Ionospheric Effects , L. Cander • Spacecraft & Aircraft Environments , A. Hilgers • Education, Outreach and Emerging Markets, N. Crosby

GETG Terms of Reference: Includes (but is not limited to) activities such as  Modelling the occurrence of geomagnetic variations and geoelectric fields during space weather events  Modelling GIC in electric power systems (discrete earthings)  Modelling GIC in buried pipeline networks (continuous earthing)  Measurements of geomagnetic variations, geoelectric fields and GIC  Development of forecast techniques of GIC based on neural networks or on physical models  Collaboration with power and pipeline industry on GIC research  Advice on and forecast of geomagnetic activity to users, such as oil drilling and prospecting industry and aeromagnetic survey enterprises

GETG Web Site Managed by Magnus Wik at IRF Lund http://www.lund.irf.se/HeliosHome/groundeffectstg.html

http://www.lund.irf.se/getg/index.html

Magnus Wik: • 1. Who is the audience of the webpage ? Is it for members only or should public outreach be included ? • 2. There are several topical group web-pages. Perhaps a common webpage for all topical groups is better e.g. to avoid "double work". • 3. How should we use the webpage ? Will people actually use it ? If not, how can we change it so that it will be useful ? • 4. For the moment Magnus is the only one that is able to change the content. Perhaps it would be better if each one of us has a personal login. That way we can all contribute to the webpage. Some pages could even be password protected if necessary.

EUROEM’2008 Conference (European Electromagnetics) Lausanne, Switzerland July 21-25, 2008 http://www.euroem.org/

EUROEM conferences are held every four years, the previous one in Magdeburg, Germany, in July 2004. • Corresponding AMEREM (American Electromagnetics) conferences are also held every four years. • “The conferences provide a forum within the international scientific and engineering community for Electromagnetics.”

-The EUROEM’2008 organisers have expressed their interest in having a GIC/SpaceWeather-related session at the conference, but nothing has been decided or confirmed yet. • -GETG should decide upon it now. • -GIC-related sessions have been organised (at least) at: • AMEREM’1996 • EUROEM’2000 • AMEREM’2002 • EUROEM’2004 -Risto Pirjola is an invited member of the International Technical Committee of EUROEM’2008.

“GIC-related session” at EUROEM’2004 in Magdeburg • Conveners: Henrik Lundstedt and Risto Pirjola • Chairmen: Magnus Wik and Risto Pirjola • One afternoon session • Nine 20-minute presentations • Audience in the order of 15…20 people (as far as I remember) • Some presentations were not really related to space weather. • Papers based on the presentations were invited to be published in the “Space Weather” journal of AGU. This invitation should be much appreciated. • Unfortunately, however, only very few papers were finally published in Space Weather.

“GIC-related session” at EUROEM’2004 “Space Weather and Geomagnetic Storms” ‘Space Weather Risk’ by R. Pirjola et al. ‘Discovering Temporal Patterns from Events and other Multivariate Data’ by M. Nuñez et al. ‘Further Studies in the Enhancement of Electric Fields Near Oceanic Boundaries’ by J. Gilbert ‘Real-Time Forecast Service for Geomagnetically Induced Currents’ by H. Lundstedt et al. (presented by M. Wik) ‘Electromagnetic Research as Input to Space Weather Monitoring’ by V. Korepanov ‘Coordinated Approach to Investigation of Space Weather Effects on Human Health and on Biological Systems on Earth’ by M. Cermack et al. ‘Spherical Model of Generation of Geomagnetic Perturbations on the Earth’s Surface from High Energy Sources’ by A. Y. Matronchik ‘Geophysical Plasma Generation Inside Energy Active Zones’ by E. Protasevich ‘The Ionospheric-Magnetospheric Alfven Resonator (IMAR) in the Case of a Dipole Geomagnetic Field’ by A. Ovchinnikov

Remarks: • It is not obligatory to have a GIC Session at EUROEM’2008 but the ‘yes/no’ information should be sent to the organisers ASAP. • If ‘yes’ two conveners will be needed who should start preparations and invitations ASAP. • Speakers should come from all over the world (since EUROEM is international), but in particular, GETG members are expected to contribute to the session. • The deadline for abstracts is January 31, 2008. • The conference fee is 490 euros before May 1, 2008 (and 590 euros later). • EUROEM/AMEREM conferences provide an excellent way for GIC/SpaceWeather scientists to advertise their research to the engineering community. • However, otherwise the topics at EUROEM/AMEREM conferences are usually a little outside the main interests of GIC/SpaceWeather scientists.

BGS GIC Activities in 2006-2007 PhD student August 2007 - “Analysis and Prediction of the Ground Technology Hazard due to Space Weather” - with University of Lancaster (SAMNET) - looking at 2D ionospheric source fields and at a range of frequencies, rather than planar sources and spot frequencies National Grid – No commitment to GIC research for next few years, at least to solar maximum - BGS will update UK grid model & examine hypothetical storm scenarios Scottish Power – Bid to study GIC risk further with SP, no decision yet from SP research budget

Canada 1. Our group did two presentations at NACE International conference in Texas, in March (2 papers were published). This international conference gathers pipeline and corrosion engineers from all over the world and publications are not only peer-reviewed, but also can only be ordered for purchase (for ~50 cents). 2. Our extended group (including Risto) organised the first ever GIC session in Russia, at EMC and EM Ecology conference in St. Petersburg in June, where we had opportunity to gather Russian GIC researchers from different organisations and had established some new contacts. We had plenary talk and 4 sessional talks, papers were published in Proceedings (not peer-reviewed). Risto can talk more about it and be our representative at your meeting. 3. We have also two student's posters and a kiosk (booth) to demonstrate our forecast, pipeline service and other applications at Ottawa Eastern Area NACE conference (East-American annual pipeline conference) in September. 1. For new work, I would suggest some "telluric activity map" similar to what we have done for Canada (see my talk on Thursday morning). I think, if GETG have had similar statistical results, it would be easier to convince anyone that telluric variations might be not that 'spectacular' but still statistically important, especially if they act upon defined "weak" points in the particular infrastructure. 2. I would also recommend to include some Russian GIC-colleagues in the GETG-list and sometime in the future to invite them to share their GIC-related experience. I can provide contacts, if Risto does not have them.

Agenda • 1. List of members, Terms of Reference, Review of Actions • Please add name/affiliation to circulation list • 2. GETG Web Activities • Home Site update (Magnus Wik) • Wikipedia articles on ‘Space Weather’ and ‘GIC’ • 3. GETG and Engineering Conferences/Journals • Risto Pirjola – EUROEM 2008 • 4. Space situational awareness and the SWWT • Mike Hapgood (Chair SWWT) • 5. Reports on new research work and publications (2006-2007) • Alan Thomson (UK) • Larisa Trichtchenko (Canada) • Pavel Hejda (CZ) • Jurgen Watermann (DMI) • Risto Pirjola (FMI) • 6. Any Other Business – GREPON and FP7?

Space Weather and GIC • At the Earth’s surface, space weather manifests itself as geoelectromagnetic effects. Geomagnetic activity is increased, i.e. the geomagnetic field becomes disturbed, in other words, a geomagnetic storm occurs. The geoelectric field drives currents, called geomagnetically induced currents (GIC), in man-made conductors, such as electric power transmission systems, oil and gas pipelines, telecommunication cables and railway equipment. GIC may cause problems to the systems: transformers can be saturated, pipelines may suffer from enhanced corrosion, and telecommunication and railway systems can experience overvoltage.

Ground Effects Topical Group (GETG) ESWW4 Brussels 2007 Spokespersons :