Earth’s Magnetic Field Anomaly Growing – Satellites Reveal
Here’s a breakdown of the provided text, focusing on the key data about the south Atlantic Anomaly (SAA):
* What is the South Atlantic Anomaly? It’s a region where Earth’s magnetic field is weaker than expected and behaves strangely. Specifically, magnetic flux that should be emerging from the Earth’s core is instead reversing and going back into the core.
* Why is it happening? Scientists don’t know the exact cause, but they know the magnetic field beneath the region isn’t behaving normally.
* How do we certainly know about it? Data from the European space Agency’s Swarm satellite mission is helping scientists track the anomaly and observe its movement. Specifically, they’ve seen an area of reversed flux moving westward over Africa, contributing to the weakening of the SAA.
* Possible Connection: The anomaly might be linked to unusual structures deep within the Earth (specifically, the “weird blobs” mentioned in the linked article).
* Normal Magnetic Field: Earth’s magnetic field is generally dipolar – lines emerge in the south and dive in the north.The SAA disrupts this pattern.
In essence, the SAA is a puzzling weakness and reversal in Earth’s magnetic field over the south Atlantic, and scientists are actively studying it to understand its origins and potential implications.
