scholarly journals A regional geomagnetic field model over Southern Africa derived with harmonic splines from Swarm satellite and ground-based data recorded between 2014 and 2019

2022 ◽  
Vol 74 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Emmanuel Nahayo ◽  
Monika Korte

AbstractA regional harmonic spline geomagnetic main field model, Southern Africa Core Field Model (SACFM-3), is derived from Swarm satellite and ground-based data for the southern African region, in the eastern part of the South Atlantic Anomaly (SAA) where the field intensity continues to decrease. Using SACFM-3 and the global CHAOS-6-×9 model, a detailed study was conducted to shed light on the high spatial and temporal geomagnetic field variations over Southern Africa between 2014 and 2019. The results show a steady decrease of the radial component Z in almost the entire region. In 2019, its rate of decrease in the western part of the region has reached high values, 76 nT/year and 78 nT/year at Tsumeb and Keetmanshoop magnetic observatories, respectively. For some areas in the western part of the region the radial component Z and field intensity F have decreased in strength, from 1.0 to 1.3% and from 0.9 to 1.2%, respectively, between the epochs 2014.5 and 2019.5. There is a noticeable decrease of the field intensity from the south-western coast of South Africa expanding towards the north and eastern regions. The results show that the SAA area is continuing to grow in the region. Abrupt changes in the linear secular variation in 2016 and 2017 are confirmed in the region using ground-based data, and the X component shows an abrupt change in the secular variation in 2018 at four magnetic observatories (Hermanus, Hartebeesthoek, Tsumeb and Keetmanshoop) that needs further investigation. The regional model SACFM-3 reflects to some extent these fast core field variations in the Z component at Hermanus, Hartebeesthoek and Keetmanshoop observatories. Graphical Abstract

2021 ◽  
Vol 73 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Rother ◽  
M. Korte ◽  
A. Morschhauser ◽  
F. Vervelidou ◽  
J. Matzka ◽  
...  

AbstractWe present the GFZ candidate field models for the $$13{\mathrm{th}}$$ 13 th  Generation International Geomagnetic Reference Field (IGRF-13). These candidates were derived from the geomagnetic core field model, which is constrained by Swarm satellite and ground observatory data from November 2013 to August 2019. Data were selected from magnetically quiet periods, and the model parameters have been obtained using an iteratively reweighted inversion scheme approximating a robust modified Huber norm as a measure of misfit. The root mean square misfit of the model to Swarm and observatory data is in the order of 3–5 nT for mid and low latitudes, with a maximum of 44 nT for the satellite east component data at high latitudes. The time-varying core field is described by order 6 splines and spherical harmonic coefficients up to degree and order 20. We note that the temporal variation of the core field component of the model is strongly damped and shows a smooth secular variation that suits well for the IGRF, where secular variation is represented as constant over 5-year intervals. Further, the external field is parameterised by a slowly varying part and a more rapidly varying part controlled by magnetic activity and interplanetary magnetic field proxies. Additionally, the Euler angles of the magnetic field sensor orientation are co-estimated. A widely discussed feature of the geomagnetic field is the South Atlantic Anomaly, a zone of weak and decreasing field strength stretching from southern Africa over to South America. The IGRF and indicate that the anomaly has developed a second, less pronounced eastern minimum at Earth’s surface since 2007. We observe that while the strong western minimum continues to drift westwards, the less pronounced eastern minimum currently drifts eastward at Earth’s surface. This does not seem to be linked to any eastward motion at the core–mantle boundary, but rather to intensity changes of westward drifting flux patches contributing to the observed surface field. Also, we report a sudden change in the secular variation measured at two South Atlantic observatories around 2015.0, which occurred shortly after the well-known jerk of 2014.0.


2020 ◽  
Vol 72 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Terence J. Sabaka ◽  
Lars Tøffner-Clausen ◽  
Nils Olsen ◽  
Christopher C. Finlay

2021 ◽  
Vol 73 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Magnus D. Hammer ◽  
Grace A. Cox ◽  
William J. Brown ◽  
Ciarán D. Beggan ◽  
Christopher C. Finlay

AbstractWe present geomagnetic main field and secular variation time series, at 300 equal-area distributed locations and at 490 km altitude, derived from magnetic field measurements collected by the three Swarm satellites. These Geomagnetic Virtual Observatory (GVO) series provide a convenient means to globally monitor and analyze long-term variations of the geomagnetic field from low-Earth orbit. The series are obtained by robust fits of local Cartesian potential field models to along-track and East–West sums and differences of Swarm satellite data collected within a radius of 700 km of the GVO locations during either 1-monthly or 4-monthly time windows. We describe two GVO data products: (1) ‘Observed Field’ GVO time series, where all observed sources contribute to the estimated values, without any data selection or correction, and (2) ‘Core Field’ GVO time series, where additional data selection is carried out, then de-noising schemes and epoch-by-epoch spherical harmonic analysis are applied to reduce contamination by magnetospheric and ionospheric signals. Secular variation series are provided as annual differences of the Core Field GVOs. We present examples of the resulting Swarm GVO series, assessing their quality through comparisons with ground observatories and geomagnetic field models. In benchmark comparisons with six high-quality mid-to-low latitude ground observatories we find the secular variation of the Core Field GVO field intensities, calculated using annual differences, agrees to an rms of 1.8 nT/yr and 1.2 nT/yr for the 1-monthly and 4-monthly versions, respectively. Regular sampling in space and time, and the availability of data error estimates, makes the GVO series well suited for users wishing to perform data assimilation studies of core dynamics, or to study long-period magnetospheric and ionospheric signals and their induced counterparts. The Swarm GVO time series will be regularly updated, approximately every four months, allowing ready access to the latest secular variation data from the Swarm satellites.


1999 ◽  
Vol 42 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
A. De Santis ◽  
M. Chiappini ◽  
J. M. Torta ◽  
R. R. B. von Frese

The properties of the Earth's core magnetic field and its secular variation are poorly known for the Antarctic. The increasing availability of magnetic observations from airborne and satellite surveys, as well as the existence of several magnetic observatories and repeat stations in this region, offer the promise of greatly improving our understanding of the Antarctic core field. We investigate the possible development of a Laplacian reference model of the core field from these observations using spherical cap harmonic analysis. Possible uses and advantages of this approach relative to the implementations of the standard global reference field are also considered.


2017 ◽  
Vol 35 (5) ◽  
pp. 1085-1092
Author(s):  
Metodi Metodiev ◽  
Petya Trifonova

Abstract. The Bulgarian Geomagnetic Reference Field (BulGRF) for 2015.0 epoch and its secular variation model prediction up to 2020.0 is produced and presented in this paper. The main field model is based on the well-known polynomial approximation in latitude and longitude of the geomagnetic field elements. The challenge in our modelling strategy was to update the absolute field geomagnetic data from 1980.0 up to 2015.0 using secular measurements unevenly distributed in time and space. As a result, our model gives a set of six coefficients for the horizontal H, vertical Z, total field F, and declination D elements of the geomagnetic field. The extrapolation of BulGRF to 2020 is based on an autoregressive forecasting of the Panagyurishte observatory annual means. Comparison of the field values predicted by the model with Panagyurishte (PAG) observatory annual mean data and two vector field measurements performed in 2015 shows a close match with IGRF-12 values and some difference with the real (measured) values, which is probably due to the influence of crustal sources. BulGRF proves to be a reliable alternative to the global geomagnetic field models which together with its simplicity makes it a useful tool for reducing magnetic surveys to a common epoch carried out over the Bulgarian territory up to 2020.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ingo Wardinski ◽  
Diana Saturnino ◽  
Hagay Amit ◽  
Aude Chambodut ◽  
Benoit Langlais ◽  
...  

Abstract Observations of the geomagnetic field taken at Earth's surface and at satellite altitude were combined to construct continuous models of the geomagnetic field and its secular variation from 1957 to 2020. From these parent models, we derive candidate main field models for the epochs 2015 and 2020 to the 13th generation of the International Geomagnetic Reference Field (IGRF). The secular variation candidate model for the period 2020 - 2025 is derived from a forecast of the secular variation in 2022.5, which results from a multi-variate singular spectrum analysis of the secular variation from 1957 to 2020.


2016 ◽  
Vol 68 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Christopher C. Finlay ◽  
Nils Olsen ◽  
Stavros Kotsiaros ◽  
Nicolas Gillet ◽  
Lars Tøffner-Clausen

2020 ◽  
Vol 72 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Christopher C. Finlay ◽  
Clemens Kloss ◽  
Nils Olsen ◽  
Magnus D. Hammer ◽  
Lars Tøffner-Clausen ◽  
...  

Abstract We present the CHAOS-7 model of the time-dependent near-Earth geomagnetic field between 1999 and 2020 based on magnetic field observations collected by the low-Earth orbit satellites Swarm, CryoSat-2, CHAMP, SAC-C and Ørsted, and on annual differences of monthly means of ground observatory measurements. The CHAOS-7 model consists of a time-dependent internal field up to spherical harmonic degree 20, a static internal field which merges to the LCS-1 lithospheric field model above degree 25, a model of the magnetospheric field and its induced counterpart, estimates of Euler angles describing the alignment of satellite vector magnetometers, and magnetometer calibration parameters for CryoSat-2. Only data from dark regions satisfying strict geomagnetic quiet-time criteria (including conditions on IMF $$B_z$$ B z and $$B_y$$ B y at all latitudes) were used in the field estimation. Model parameters were estimated using an iteratively reweighted regularized least-squares procedure; regularization of the time-dependent internal field was relaxed at high spherical harmonic degree compared with previous versions of the CHAOS model. We use CHAOS-7 to investigate recent changes in the geomagnetic field, studying the evolution of the South Atlantic weak field anomaly and rapid field changes in the Pacific region since 2014. At Earth’s surface a secondary minimum of the South Atlantic Anomaly is now evident to the south west of Africa. Green’s functions relating the core–mantle boundary radial field to the surface intensity show this feature is connected with the movement and evolution of a reversed flux feature under South Africa. The continuing growth in size and weakening of the main anomaly is linked to the westward motion and gathering of reversed flux under South America. In the Pacific region at Earth’s surface between 2015 and 2018 a sign change has occurred in the second time derivative (acceleration) of the radial component of the field. This acceleration change took the form of a localized, east–west oriented, dipole. It was clearly recorded on ground, for example at the magnetic observatory at Honolulu, and was seen in Swarm observations over an extended region in the central and western Pacific. Downward continuing to the core–mantle boundary, we find this event originated in field acceleration changes at low latitudes beneath the central and western Pacific in 2017.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Martin Rother ◽  
Monika Korte ◽  
Jürgen Matzka ◽  
Achim Morschhauser ◽  
Claudia Stolle ◽  
...  

<p>The Earth's core magnetic field model Mag.num was the parent model for the GFZ IGRF 13 candidate submission. The model is based on geomagnetic ground observatory and Swarm satellite observations. Epochs 2020.0 and beyond were not covered by the data available at the time of submission and our results were based on predictions. In this study, we investigate the effect of the more recent available data on our results of the 2020.0 epoch and the predicted secular variation by generating an updated Mag.num version. We especially focus on the spatial and temporal patterns of the local geomagnetic field minimum of the South Atlantic Anomaly (SAA). Recently, global geomagnetic field models have shown that an additional, although shallow, secondary minimum at Earth's surface has developed since around 2005. The location and significance of the secondary minimum and of the saddle point between the two minima are assessed also in view of the respective differences among the candidate models.</p>


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