Mapping Project Aims to Protect the Grid Against Space Weather
Image courtesy of NASA Goddard Space Flight Center under Attribution 2.0 Generic License, resized to 700 x 391 pixels.
Since 2006, researchers with Oregon State University’s College of Earth, Ocean, and Atmospheric Sciences have been building a map of the Earth’s electrical properties to protect the power grid from the negative impact of extreme space weather events like solar storms or GMD activity. The final version of the map was completed in June 2024, and it encompasses the entire U.S. from the planet’s surface down through the crust and mantle 186 miles below.
How Geoelectric Mapping Can Reduce the Impact of Severe Space Weather
The map is designed to show how geomagnetic sub-surface currents and other electromagnetic phenomena interface with the power grid. By measuring and mapping the planet’s electrical conductivity, utility and communication companies can be better prepared for geomagnetic disturbances caused by extreme space weather events that could disrupt radio communications or even cause blackouts, as happened with the March 1989 blackout on Hydro-Québec’s grid.
The new U.S. geoelectric map provides a holistic view of all the unseen forces that can interact with solar anomalies and other strange space weather events that can cause disruptions. Before this effort, a patchwork of data existed but it was not comprehensive enough to do much good.
The map has been utilized effectively. In May 2024, Earth got hit with the strongest solar storm it’s seen in over 30 years. Although it did not directly cause any power outages, it created some anomalies with GPS software, as well as certain cellphone and radio signals. So, it’s easy to see how a map of this nature will come in handy sooner or later.
Despite the mapping project reaching its natural conclusion after all these years, I’m sure the process of updating, refining, and enhancing the precision of the data will remain ongoing. Nonetheless, this was a massive effort and to see it through to completion is a huge victory. Even if it prevents just one blackout from a space weather event, it will be worth it.
