Investigation of space weather hazards at ocean-continent boundaries using FDTD

The geomagnetic disturbances create large-scale geo-magnetically induced currents (GICs) in long conductors at the Earth's surface. The GIC might cause hazard to many infrastructures, out of which, the electrical transmission lines located at the vicinity of ocean is the prime example. The unique physics behind this phenomena lies at the sharp contrast in the electrical conductivity between ocean and continent. We are generating Maxwell's equations finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) models of ionospheric currents in the vicinity of ocean-continent boundaries to solve for more realistic electromagnetic field behavior with more dynamics physics included.