Nowcasting geoelectric hazard on U.S. power grid

Intense solar activity can produce powerful geomagnetic storms that pose a significant risk to the electrical power grid infrastructure of North America. In extreme events, currents induced by these disturbances can cause blackouts and may even damage power grid infrastructure. CIRES Fellow Anne Sheehan (Geological Sciences), along with PhD candidate Daniel Feucht, and NOAA Space Weather Prediction Center research scientist Christopher Balch, will seek to determine if datasets of near-surface geologic and geophysical properties can reliably predict the hazards associated with geomagnetically induced electric currents. The team will use models of observed magnetic and electric time series from EarthScope and localized datasets in their research. Determining a readily available geologic proxy for geoelectric hazards will improve past models, and permit more accurate nowcasting of geomagnetically induced currents across the United States.