Geomagnetic storms result from incoming solar activity and are marked by large magnetic field variations that can damage power grids and infrastructure.

Other natural hazards, like tsunamis and submarine eruptions, also produce distinct magnetic field variations. This is because they can significantly disturb ocean water (which is electrically conductive) and the atmosphere, through to the ionosphere.

This talk will cover magnetic signals from major disasters, including the 2003 Halloween geomagnetic storm, the 2022 Hunga Tonga eruption, and the 2011 Tohoku tsunami. I’ll discuss what magnetic fields reveal about these natural disasters and how they may enhance hazard warning systems.

Speaker: Neesha Schnepf, Research Scientist, Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics (LASP), University of Colorado, Boulder