We aim to illuminate how the microscopic properties of a metal surface map to its electric-field noise characteristics. In our system, prolonged heat treatments of a metal film can induce a rise in the magnitude of the electric-field noise generated by the surface of that film. We refer to this heat-induced rise in noise magnitude as a thermal transformation. The underlying physics of this thermal transformation process is explored through a series of heating, milling, and electron treatments performed on a single surface ion trap. Between these treatments, $^{40}$Ca$^+$ ions trapped 70 $mu$m above the surface of the metal are used as detectors to monitor the electric-field noise at frequencies close to 1 MHz. An Auger spectrometer is used to track changes in the composition of the contaminated metal surface. With these tools we investigate contaminant deposition, chemical reactions, and atomic restructuring as possible drivers of thermal transformations. The data suggest that the observed thermal transformations can be explained by atomic restructuring at the trap surface. We hypothesize that a rise in local atomic order increases surface electric-field noise in this system.
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