The South Atlantic Anomaly is an interesting phenomenon, which varies over time and may be related to a zone of unusually dense rock.
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A bizarre dent in Earth’s magnetic field above the southern Atlantic Ocean weakens the southern lights, new research finds.
The South Atlantic Anomaly is a large, oval-shaped region over South America and the southern Atlantic Ocean where Earth’s magnetic field is weakest, says Live Science.
The anomaly is already well known for allowing charged particles from the sun to dip close to Earth’s surface, exposing satellites orbiting above to high levels of ionizing radiation, according to NASA.
Now, a study published Feb. 8 in the journal Geophysical Research Letters finds that this weak region also affects the southern aurora, the glowing lights in the upper atmosphere that can be seen at high latitudes. The southern lights occur over and around Antarctica and are the equivalent of the northern lights that dance over the Arctic and Subarctic.
Auroras are caused by solar particles interacting with gas molecules in Earth’s atmosphere and are usually considered largely under the control of the sun, said Zhi-Yang Liu, first author of the study and a researcher at the Institute of Space Physics and Applied Technology at Peking University in China. But the new research highlights the two-way nature of the relationship, Liu told Live Science in an email.
“Our discovery highlights the significance of Earth-related factors, such as anomalies in Earth’s intrinsic magnetic fields that rotate with the Earth,” Liu said.
The researchers used data from an instrument aboard the FengYun-3E satellite, launched in 2021, that measures magnetic-field variations. They found a “substantial weakening” of magnetic fluctuations in the aurora australis, or southern lights, where it overlaps with the South Atlantic Anomaly.
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The weakened magnetic fluctuations of the anomaly seem to reduce the amount of energy that can be put into the atmosphere by solar particles, Liu said, but the physics of the weakened aurora is not entirely understood.
There may be feedback effects between the atmosphere and the solar energy that further complicate the picture. Future research will also investigate whether a similar phenomenon occurs on other planets, he said.
Full article here.
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Image: The strength of the South Atlantic Anomaly, as of 2020
[credit: various authors – see here (Wikipedia)]
Tallbloke's Talkshop 
I have been told that during the Apollo Space program the NASA tracking station in Hawaii was influenced by a mass concentration, a plumb bob vertical was not equal to an astronomical vertical.
The PAMELA experiment, while passing through the SAA, detected antiproton levels that were orders of magnitude higher than expected. — Wikipedia
The discovery of geomagnetically trapped cosmic ray antiprotons (2011)
This Letter reports the discovery of an antiproton radiation belt around the Earth. The trapped antiproton energy spectrum in the South Atlantic Anomaly (SAA) region has been measured by the PAMELA experiment for the kinetic energy range 60–750 MeV. A measurement of the atmospheric sub-cutoff antiproton spectrum outside the radiation belts is also reported. PAMELA data show that the magnetospheric antiproton flux in the SAA exceeds the cosmic-ray antiproton flux by three orders of magnitude at the present solar minimum, and exceeds the sub-cutoff antiproton flux outside radiation belts by four orders of magnitude, constituting the most abundant source of antiprotons near the Earth. [bold added]
https://arxiv.org/abs/1107.4882
[…] Weird dent in Earth’s magnetic field is messing with auroras in the Southern Hemisphere […]
Due to the ‘fluidity’ of Earth’s ‘core’. There’s no surprise if/when a ‘link’ would be made to the ‘major density’ of Earth’s core as the ‘fulcrum’ to which Earth’s Moon ‘orbits’ (major mass orbits major mass).
There’s more to this, but it’s late here and I’ll get back.
Kind regards, Ray Dart (AKA suricat).
Has anyone any comments about the phenomenal visibility of auroras much further south than usual recently?
Up here in Yorkshire in over seven decades the best we’ve ever had was occasional flickering and that rarely.
We are now treated to spectacular, colourful ones quite regularly.
Hi cat, I assume that you question ‘atmospheric ionization’? I’ll get to this later.
darteck says: March 4, 2024 at 5:59 am
To continue. Earth’s Moon ‘core’ isn’t ‘fluid’ (it’s ‘solid’ [I understand]), but Earth’s ‘core’ ‘is fluid’ and being made up of the ‘densest material’ that makes up Earth’s mass properties, Earth’s ‘core’ possesses the ‘greatest mass density’ when comparison is made to it’s ‘other parts’ that we presume to be a ‘whole Earth’. Thus, our ‘center of gravity’ should be ‘within the proximity’ of Earth’s ‘core’, but rarely at (what we believe to be) Earth’s ‘geometric center’.
The ‘closer proximity’ of Earth’s core to Earth’s surface shall alter the ‘magnetic property’ observed at Earth’s surface IMHO.
cat.
This is a ‘tidal’ phenomenon (along with Solar maxima).
‘Tides’ not only affect Earth’s ‘core’, they also ‘affect’ our ‘seas/oceans’ and ‘atmosphere’.
Tidal ‘maxima/minima’ are influenced by both a Solar and Luna juxtaposition with Earth (the ‘three forcing anomaly’). Thus my only explanation is that a reduction in ‘pressure’ together with a ‘Solar high emission’ has the result of the “auroras” being observable further South than was previously possible.
Kind regards, Ray Dart (AKA suricat).
Thanks Ray.
I’m wondering if there are implications…
catweazle666 says: March 6, 2024 at 8:04 pm
“Thanks Ray.
I’m wondering if there are implications…”
Not AFAIK, but physics within the upper atmosphere isn’t my ‘strongest subject’.
‘Solar wind’ is the ‘flow’ of ‘electrically charged particles’ (both -ive and +ive) ’emitted by ‘Sol’ (our Sun)’ and a ‘charged particle in motion’ generates a ‘magnetic field’, which in our case, alters ‘Earths magnetic field’ (generated by Earth’s rotation) to ‘distort it’ in a way that the ‘solar wind’ can be observed to (kind of) ‘blow and distort’ Earth’s magnetic field to follow the ‘flow’ of the ‘solar wind’ (phew).
That being said, this is a ‘natural’ and ‘on going’ phenomenon.
As to “implications” (what are these, please enlighten me)? As I tried to explain earlier, the position of Earth’s ‘center of gravity’ WRT Earth’s ‘core’ may have something to do with a ‘weakening’ of Earth’s ‘magnetic field’ at ‘some point’ of Earth’s surface. IMHO this is because ‘orbital mechanics’ may well alter the position of the ‘heaviest fluid’ at the ‘center of gravity’ of the Earth.
WRT ‘the Aurora’ (Borealis, or Australis), IMHO these should be ‘observed’ ‘together’ for any change in either the NH, or SH to determine whether it’s ‘Sol’s’ (our Sun’s) output, or just an event at ‘the time of year’.
I hope I’ve been helpful, if not RSPV.
Kind regards, Ray Dart (AKA suricat).
I may have missed this, but ‘what’ are your ‘main concerns’???
Kind regards, Ray Dart (AKA suricat).
Off topic. Why should we care and what can anyone do about it?
AS regrads explanations above, I believe the most dense metallic core of the Earth is calculated and perhaps vibrationally measured to be be solid, above that to the wafer thin crust everything is visco elastic and tidally twerked by the Moon on a daily as well as by the planetary gravitational variability of our orbit in the solar system as a barycentric planet/Moon system – so the surface is in constant motionant motion, round and round and up and down. Twerktastic. 55cm verically at the equator if you know your AGU Handbook (i only know that bit because I researched it properly….
Point here, for me, is academe versus the real world where we have to make a living by doing something that works advertised, adds value…. and we get fired if it doesn’t or we waste time spending money on what doesn’t work.
There is a lot of stuff we can’t understand, why care if there are no negative effects, at someone else expnese?
There must be grant for it, got to keep pointless academics sions of the middle classes who never want to work any where where you have to get things right or get fired, in whole careers that have no actual benefit to the people forced to pay for them. Of course the pseudo science of ‘ologies is worse. Wholly pointless and exists to support ide-ologies, as does epidemiology now, no longer a science, as it is so abused by charlatans with computers like the groups at UCL, IC , etc. The Ferguson is a new unit of error, Khans 4,000 deaths without certificates etc..
So real deterministc Earth science that actually happens you measure, like Geology, versus what doesn’t that you make up in a computer for grant from politicians, is somewhat higher up my list to save, when the time comes and the Universities of the new religions of fake pseudo science of no deterministic merit burn before the angry mobs, as they should for the harm they do and the waste they are. IMO.
Feynman on pseudo science…. in case I was not as clear as he always was: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tWr39Q9vBgo
As you may gather, I am a little tired of academic BS, many “Professors” don’t have the IQ to be academic researchers …. anyone with half a brain and a bit good at manipulating people or proving what they’re asked to for a grant can be an academic, in any subject you don’t have to prove but is trendy, and you can publish and promote with the slightest of PALS review, based on manipulated statistics, or even deterministically flawed opinions, to promote what “scientists say” “could” do whatevereit is. It seems to me.
Hence my sensitivity to this thread. We don’t know. It happens. No problem. Nothing humans can do about. Not worth a grant. Nothing to do with climate change. Yet.
My take. Move on, send tourists to watch the pretty lights and make a few bob. Monetise it while it’s there. Like yer academics will.
For those old enough………. “relax, und watchen das blinken lights”
Hoping I pass the academic moderator filter … Brian
PS Ever so ‘umble engineer, who escaped from academe to the real world, where we added real value for real customers, could only build what worked, as things that didn’t when tested don’t sell, may even kill people. So not at all like academes factory of inconsequential papers on stuff that doesn’t happen and they can’t prove.
And even “real” engineering slipped away from NASA with the Challenger and Boeing with the 737 MAX and 787. What happens when even the science we know is hi jacked by politicians and money men, that denies the hard science and safe practice we observe to be real. So basic that Feynman exposed the Challenger disaster’s cause with a glass of ice water and a small clamp, something the whole NASA management had denied was a problem throughout. They knew the risks, killed a crew, destroyed a Shuttle, and lied to cover it up. Much as academics have with climate change.
There is only one truth, the one we measure and can, perhaps, explain. Deterministically. The first is absolute, the second is optional. And all this should be free access to anyone who can understand the consequences of the messages it tells us, not attacked as denial. Where are the honest academics. Are there any left with tenure? Where is the honest media to deliver the message. Politicians hate absolutes they cannot change, so are never interested in truths they cannot falsify and use to manipulate populations. If necessary they will suppress debate and enforce ther narrative. As has happened with the hard science of both climate and energy. I could talk about critical race theory. which is just divisive academic activism collonising woke run Universities which need to be closed down and perhaps restarted with competent management and no “ology” subjects. Just deterministic science, the only sort that is of value to those forced to pay for it. And even now we are told to deny even this science as regards the climate, the means of generating energy at the scale required by developed economies and the net benefits of the tiny climate change and the significantly increased levels of CO2 for life on Earth, which was getting dangerously low in measured fact.
“The Party told you to reject the evidence of your eyes and ears. It was their final, most essential command.”
― George Orwell, 1984
Yes BrianRLC, on this O/T comment: Gramps is kind of agreeing with your sentiment(s) …. Academia in Ivory Towers an a’ that. When told to stop digging, we now find it better to dig faster , Deeper, and Under the Objectors. Let them fall in and then see who CAN dig !
I think you are getting triggered by the nonsense too … Maybe we should be filing claims against, er em, … well that’s my problem, even that is another triggering event nowadays based on past experiences. The Media and the Legal system….. There is only one truth
In response to catweazle, to my theme, it seems the light that shines out of Yorkshire’s ____ has got a bit brighter, but has no measurable effect on reality? I am unwell….. so crotchety….. It’s just raining protons so weak they don’t even hit the ground.
A loda os puny ionic low energy protons from the Sun following lines of magnetic force meeting the atmopshere, and losing fer crissakes. The ones from outside the solar system that irradiate us are serious and don’t stop for no atmosphere. They may MIRV on the way down, so energetic are they. Which is what Piers Corbyn doesn’t get, even when its explained 121 to him by a Svensmark, the difference between energy and intensity matters, as Einsteins Nobel prize demonstration of quantum binding energy in the Photo Electric effect made clear to anyome who ever studied science 101..
Cosmic Protons take real stopping and can reorganise Atomic nuclei on Earth’s surface. Solar Protons can’t. Not enough energy.
Cosmic “rays” make the ground in showers of energetic by products and also uniquely create C-14 on the way down and Be-10 on the way down and on the ground – unseen.
Nothing else has the energy to do that. Only learnt that a few years ago from a Nir Shaviv talk. Who tells you things like this that are fundamental?
Where does Carbon 14 come from, Mummy? How many “experts” even know it? Get your kids/grand children to ask teacher?
Hence comic ray flux reaching Earth can be assessed by the amount of C-14 and Be-10 over short timescales. I am unsure about longer timescales. The work of Steinhilber (2008), Beer, and McCracken will probably inform those interested.
GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH LETTERS, VOL. 36, L19704, doi:10.1029/2009GL040142, 2009
PS This cosmic ray intensity proxy is Also highly correlated with the characteristic frequencies of short term climate change data by Ludecke und Weiss (2017)
I’m ‘out of here’!!!
A curiosity as a sunspot produced a strong M7.4-class solar flare…
Extreme ultraviolet radiation from the flare ionized the top of Earth’s atmosphere, causing a strong shortwave radio blackout over Africa and the South Atlantic: map. Mariners and ham radio operators may have noticed loss of signal for as much as 30 minutes after the flare.
https://spaceweather.com/archive.php?view=1&day=11&month=03&year=2024