Telluric Current Micropulsations on Arctic Drifting Station Charlie

Abstract

TELLURIC current recording equipment was operated on Arctic Drifting Station Charlie during the epoch October 15–December 31, 1959. The station was located on a 4-mile by 7-mile ice floe of quite uniform thickness, the thickness averaging perhaps 10 ft. The electrodes consisted of 8-ft. by 2-in. lead strips prepared from electric cable sheathing. Electrode pairs were cut from continuous lengths of sheathing to assure identity of material in the two electrodes. No difficulty was experienced with contact potentials. The d.c. voltage never exceeded a few millivolts and was very steady. The electrodes were suspended in the sea just below the ice at a spacing of 1.082 km. The relatively long spacing was necessary because of the low mV./km. value experienced over the highly conducting sea water.