7/5/2023 0 Comments South atlantic anomaly![]() ![]() Most of our planet’s magnetism originates from the shifting of electrically charged molten metals in its outer core, the behavior of which is unpredictable. Comparisons between the predictions of WMM2020 and recent data collected from the European Space Agency (ESA)’s Swarm satellites indicate that the former can still be considered an accurate model. ![]() The report details the current state of Earth’s main magnetic field, and provides a performance analysis of the most recent version of the World Magnetic Model (WMM) released in late 2019, known as WMM2020. South Atlantic anomalyĪs per NASA, the South Atlantic Anomaly arises from two main features-the tilt of the Earth and the flow of molten metals within its outer core.Last month saw the publication of the 2022 State of the Geomagnetic Field Report. The absence of a strong atmosphere over Mars is also attributed to the lack of a magnetic field to shield its environment. Moreover, this also protects the satellites orbiting the Earth from the harmful radiation. Without the protective bubble of the magnetic field, the solar winds can easily damage the entire Earth’s atmosphere and biosphere. The magnetic field is important as it prevents the Sun’s harmful charged particles entering the Earth’s atmosphere. Remember the popular homopolar motor experiment from the school? ![]() The core is in a constant state of motion about 1,800 miles below the surface and this motion helps to generate magnetic fields via convection currents that carry a stream of charged particles. This magnetic field can extend up to millions of kilometres in outer space. Schematic illustration of the invisible magnetic field lines generated by the Earth, (Peter Reid, The University of Edinburgh/NASA) The invisible magnetic field lines encircle the planet between the North and the South. Earth is similar to a magnet bar and the north and south poles represent the two sides. You can easily know about its presence with the help of a magnetic compass, which always points north. The planet Earth has a strong magnetic field, and this magnetic property comes from its core, which hosts molten iron and nickel. Moreover, the recent data from NASA shows that the dent is splitting into two, thus evolving into a major threat for future satellite missions. And scientists acknowledge that this anomaly can pose a risk to spacecraft and satellites. A fairly well-known phenomenon called South Atlantic Anomaly (SAA) refers to the unusually weak magnetic field over South America and the southern Atlantic Ocean. But worry not, this change is not expected to have any direct impact on humans. The dent refers to the weak magnetic field over a particular region of the Earth. And the news has caught on like wildfire across the digital community. A dent in the protective shield sounds scary for any person, but what are the scientists talking about when they say South Atlantic Anomaly? The researchers from the US space agency, National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), recently noticed a growing dent in the Earth’s magnetic field over South America. ![]()
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