Antarctic Low-Powered Magnetometers

Recent Data Plots

(Now in power-saving mode. Transmission of new data will resume next Antarctic spring/summer)

PG1 Magnetometer Data, lat=-85.50 lon=77.20

PG2 Magnetometer Data, lat= -84.42 lon= 57.96

PG3 Magnetometer Data, lat= -84.81 lon= 37.63

Antarctic 40 Degree Magnetic Meridian Chain

About These Magnetometer Instruments

A digital, low-powered magnetometer system was tested at South Pole in 2006-2007 and moved onto the Antarctic Plateau in January 2008 to location 'PG1', at lat=-85.50 lon=77.20. Another magnetometer was placed at 'PG2', lat= -84.42 lon= 57.96, in January 2009 and removed in December 2010 for repairs. Magnetometers having more advanced designs, including the addition of search coils, were installed at South Pole Station (lat =-89.98) in December, 2010 and 2011 for testing until final placement. 'System 3' was moved to location PG2 in January 2012, and replaced with 'System 4' in December 2012. 'System 5' was set up at location PG3 in January 2013. Three other magnetometers will be moved to the Antarctic Plateau in the next Antarctic Summer in December 2013 or later. These magnetometers will complete the PENGUIn (Polar Experimental Network for Geospace Upper atmosphere Investigations) 40 degree magnetic meridian chain, conjugate to a chain on the western Greenland coast.
The systems are designed for 5-year operation, unattended. 1-second vector geomagnetic variations are transmitted from the station via Iridium satellite communications links. To save power during the dark winter, the vector magnetic data are stored and only station housekeeping data are transmitted. The stored winter data are retrieved during the summer when power is available from the solar panels. The graphs above show the most recent data that have been obtained.
More details about this project and these instruments can be found in this PDF document.