Abstract The rapid changes of magnetic fields dB/dt that excite large geomagnetically induced currents (GICs) may be associated with quasi-periodic impulsive disturbances of the geomagnetic field with ∼10–15 min duration (Ps6 pulsations). The paper proposes a data processing technique for a 2D array of magnetic stations that automatically recognizes eddy current structures in the polar ionosphere and evaluates their dynamic parameters, such as the density and scale of field-aligned currents, and velocity of horizontal propagation. This technique has been applied to analysis of the fine spatial-temporal structure of the nighttime Ps6 pulsations on June 29, 2013 recorded by IMAGE magnetometer array. This event produced very intense GICs in electric power lines in northwestern Russia. The new technique of data analysis has confirmed that Ps6 pulsations are produced by a quasi-periodic sequence of eastward drifting vortices driven by localized (radius ∼200–250 km) field-aligned currents with densities up to ∼5 μA/m2, whereas each vortex induces a GIC burst up to ∼100 A.

中文翻译：

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从地面磁数据确定高纬度电离层涡流结构与相关的 GIC 爆发

摘要 激发大地磁感应电流 (GIC) 的磁场 dB/dt 的快速变化可能与持续约 10-15 分钟的地磁场准周期脉冲扰动（Ps6 脉动）有关。该论文提出了一种用于二维磁站阵列的数据处理技术，该技术可自动识别极地电离层中的涡流结构并评估其动态参数，例如磁场对齐电流的密度和尺度以及水平传播速度。该技术已应用于IMAGE磁强计阵列记录的2013年6月29日夜间Ps6脉动的精细时空结构分析。这一事件在俄罗斯西北部的电力线路中产生了非常强烈的 GIC。