This vast, developing phenomenon, called the South Atlantic Anomaly, has intrigued and concerned scientists for years, and perhaps none more so than NASA researchers.
The South Atlantic Anomaly (SAA) – likened by NASA to a 'dent' in Earth's magnetic field, or a kind of 'pothole in space' – generally doesn't affect life on Earth, but the same can't be said for orbital spacecraft (including the International Space Station), which pass directly through the anomaly as they loop around the planet at low-Earth orbit altitudes.
During these encounters, the reduced magnetic field strength inside the anomaly means technological systems onboard satellites can short-circuit and malfunction if they become struck by high-energy protons emanating from the Sun.
Something tells me this is a normal variation, but we haven't had the tech to notice it until now.
The primary source is considered to be a swirling ocean of molten iron inside Earth's outer core, thousands of kilometers below the ground. The movement of that mass generates electrical currents that create Earth's magnetic field, but not necessarily uniformly, it seems.
A huge reservoir of dense rock called the African Large Low Shear Velocity Province, located about 2,900 kilometers (1,800 miles) below the African continent, is thought to disturb the field's generation, resulting in the dramatic weakening effect – which is aided by the tilt of the planet's magnetic axis.
"The observed SAA can be also interpreted as a consequence of weakening dominance of the dipole field in the region," said NASA Goddard geophysicist and mathematician Weijia Kuang in 2020.
Glad they are studying it, though. The more we know, the better.
Wikipedia says it was discovered in 1958, so the first time we could put instruments above the atmosphere it was there. Which means there's no telling how long it has been there. It could have been there millions of years or just formed the day before the first satellites. I remember first hearing about it back around 1990 when I was doing some design work for a couple of satellites. Anything that's going to be exposed to the SAA has to be designed to survive it.
ReplyDeleteFunny, sailing masters have noted issues with magnetic compasses since they first sailed through that area back in the 1500's. But since scientists didn't actively see it, first hand knowledge was blown off as a sea story.
ReplyDeleteKind of like rogue waves. Scientists didn't believe they happened until video proof forced the issue.
I didn't click on any links.
ReplyDeleteHow many times did they mention glowbull warm................ climate change?
One of these millenia the magnetic poles will reverse. It’s happened countless times before. That might screw things up considerably more than this.
ReplyDeleteDrew458
And so many people were worried about cow farts!
ReplyDeleteread Ben Davidson https://x.com/SunWeatherMan he predicts disasters coming and the sun is the cause.
ReplyDeleteWell, you know it's Trump's fault
ReplyDelete