Space weather research and activities on mid-latitude island archipelagos 

Abstract: Over the past five years British Geological Survey (BGS) have been involved in a number of space weather research projects in the UK, Ireland and New Zealand. The SWIGS project made differential magnetometer measurements (DMM) under high voltage power lines to allow measurement and accurate modelling of geomagnetically induced currents. In the SAGE project we installed three new variometers in Florence Court, Leicester and Eastbourne to improve magnetic coverage while undertaking a new long period magnetotelluric campaign in England and Wales of over 40 sites using DIAS equipment to build a high resolution geoelectric field map. Finally, in the Solar Tsunamis project we used the DMM systems to measure the effect of direct current injected into a substation near Wellington as part of a controlled experiment to test how robust the transformers in New Zealand are. I will discuss these research projects and their outcomes and plans for the future including deployment of new cutting-edge absolute vector quantum magnetometers for space weather monitoring.