How to Manage Geomagnetic Field Disturbances in the Northern Auroral Zone to Improve Accuracy of Magnetic MWD Directional Surveys

Abstract

Abstract The auroral zone is the region surrounding the geomagnetic north and south poles and is where the largest and most frequent disturbances in the Earth's magnetic field are experienced. Since the accuracy of magnetic MWD directional surveys are affected by geomagnetic disturbances, surveying wells in the auroral zone is challenging. Development of industry practices to enable accurate surveying and safe operations in these areas is therefore important. The objective of this study is to investigate how the geomagnetic field parameters declination, dip angle and total magnetic field intensity are influenced by magnetic disturbances in the auroral zone. This is done by analysing the statistical properties of data from 20 land-based magnetic observatories and variometer stations in Alaska, Greenland, and Scandinavia, all located in the auroral zone. The results are used to estimate models for magnetic field disturbance variations as function of distance and direction. Additionally, methods and correction procedures to reduce azimuth uncertainty using data from distant monitoring stations are presented. Uncritical use of data from monitoring stations can result in uncertain azimuth measurements. In cases where data from more than one nearby monitoring stations are available, the challenge is often related to identifying which stations that provide the most accurate corrections. As will be shown, important criteria for the selection of monitoring stations are not only limited to directions and distances, but also the position of the ionospheric current relative to the rig-location. Procedures and methods for how to predict the positions of ionospheric currents are presented. The datasets analysed in this study contain measured deviations from the quiet mean for periods with low, moderate and high geomagnetic activity. Station-pairs with mutual distances ranging from 150km to 850km are considered. The general trends are that magnetic data from station-pairs located along the east-west direction are more correlated than data from stations located along north-south, and that differences in magnetic fluctuations between station-pairs are lower east-west than north-south. This accounts for all distances, directions, and disturbance levels.