MAGFIELD

Magnetic Field Observations at Purcell, Oklahoma

29 March 2006 - 30 September 2016

Lead Scientist: Peter Chi

Observatory: SGP (Southern Great Plains)

This project installs a magnetometer at the ARM Boundary Facility at Purcell, Oklahoma, and collects continuous measurements of the magnetic field, which can be used to study a wide range of physical processes of the Sun-Earth system, including magnetic storms, ionospheric currents, and other phenomena whose source energy originates from enhanced solar activity. The magnetometer at Purcell is a low-noise 3-axis fluxgate system sampling at 2 Hz, and it can detect the magnetic field fluctuations down to the level of 0.1 nT (or approximately 0.002% of the Earth's magnetic field). The system also receives GPS signals to ensure accurate time records. The magnetometer at Purcell will play an important role in a research project that uses the ground measurements of field line resonance along the 330th magnetic meridian to remotely monitor the plasma density distribution in the magnetosphere.