External field characterization using CHAMP satellite data for induction studies

Knowledge of external inducing source field morphology is essential for precise estimation of electromagnetic (EM) induction response. A better characterization of the external source field of magnetospheric origin can be achieved by decomposing it into outer and inner magnetospheric contributions, which are best represented in Geocentric Solar Magnetospheric (GSM) and Solar Magnetic (SM) reference frames, respectively. Thus we propose a spherical harmonic (SH) model to estimate the outer magnetospheric contribution, following the iterative reweighted least squares approach, using the vector magnetic data of the CHAMP satellite. The data covers almost a complete solar cycle from July 2001 to September 2010, spanning 54,474 orbits. The SH model, developed using orbit-averaged vector magnetic data, reveals the existence of a stable outer magnetospheric contribution of about 7.39 nT. This stable field was removed from the CHAMP data after transforming to SM frame. The residual field in the SM frame acts as a primary source for induction in the Earth. The analysis of this time-series using wavelet transformation showed a dominant 27-day periodicity of the geomagnetic field. Therefore, we calculated the inductive EM C-response function in a least squares sense considering the 27-day period variation as the inducing signal. From the estimated C-response, we have determined that the global depth to the perfect substitute conductor is about 1132 km and its conductivity is around 1.05 S/m

Wavelet characterization of external magnetic sources as observed by CHAMP satellite: evidence for unmodelled signals in geomagnetic field models

We apply continuous wavelet transform technique to the full decade (2001-2010) of CHAMP vector magnetic data from 55417 tracks, to search for evidences of external source field signatures that are either misunderstood or ignored in modern magnetic field models. We show that satellite magnetic time-series, after subtracting the main and lithospheric field contributions, exhibit several external source signals. Other than the diurnal, 27-day, and annual periodicities, we also have observed the 210-day periodicity, in the external magnetic field. Central to these observations is the local time dependency of 27-day variations, which suggests that the purely zonal source model, generally considered for the estimation of electromagnetic induction response is inadequate. We discuss the origin and characteristics of 210-day periodicity, although its geophysical significance needs to be fully ascertained. A better understanding of the external fields as seen at satellite altitude is a prerequisite for an optimum exploitation of Swarm multi-satellite mission, which is scheduled for launch in 2013