Measurement of the Auroral-Induced Current in the TransAlaska Pipeline

The aurora and other geophysical phenomena are associated with disturbances in the magnetosphere. Measurement of the potential distribution along the surface of the earth and the current flowing in the earth, i.e., telluric current, have been studied for many years. The presence of a large conductor crossing the region of Alaska with the most active aurora has led to the development of a current monitoring system to measure the total current in the pipeline and measure if any current enters or leaves the pipe in a buried section under test.