New geomagnetic field observations in the South Atlantic Anomaly region

Abstract

Three new geomagnetic observatories have been established recently around the South Atlantic geomagnetic<br />Anomaly by GeoForschungsZentrum Potsdam(GFZ), Germany, in collaboration with other institutions. In Bolivia,<br />the collaboration is with Universidad Mayor de San Andres, LaPaz, while Hermanus Magnetic Observatory<br />(HMO) in South Africa has assisted with a new observatory in Namibia. The third observatory was set up<br />on the island of St. Helena with logistical support from the IDA seismological network, University of California<br />at San Diego, USA. All these observatories are operated remotely with a minimum amount of building infrastructure<br />and without permanent staff. People living nearby have been trained to carry out the required absolute<br />measurements for a few hours per week. In this paper we report on our experiences, challenges and solutions<br />in setting up nearly automated observatories in remote locations in order to obtain high quality geomagnetic<br />data. These new data, complemented by annual repeat station surveys in southern Africa, will provide valuable<br />geomagnetic field information on the South Atlantic Anomaly changes in this area of extremely rapid decrease<br />of field intensity.

Keywords

• geomagnetic observatories – geomagnetic data – South Atlantic