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The Scott Base Geomagnetic Observatory |
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Petersen, T. |
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GNS Science, Lower Hutt, New Zealand |
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The Scott Base Geomagnetic Observatory (SBA), established in 1958 and operated by GNS Science, is continuously monitoring the changes of the Earth’s magnetic field within the Southern polar regions as an important contributor to the INTERMAGNET global magnetic observatory network. With the current technology, a measurement of the variations in strength and direction of the magnetic field is automatically being taken every second by magnetometers located inside the two small “geomag” huts at Scott Base. The data are being processed and submitted to INTERMAGNET on an hourly basis. Increased accuracy and areal extension of the SBA data set is gained by magnetic surveys at Cape Evans and Lake Vanda, which were first conducted in 1911 and 1974, respectively, and are repeated about every 5 years.
While the first part of my presentation is introducing one specific geomagnetic observatory site, the second part is providing an overview of the usage of magnetic measurements within New Zealand and through the international community. The scientific value of SBA, together with the value of the two other geomagnetic observatories (EYR & API) looked after by GNS Science, is not widely recognized within New Zealand. To ensure the observatories continuation, we need to explain and highlight their significance on a global scale. |
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Observatories |
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poster |
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