ByJamie Carter,
Senior Contributor.
Scientists have detected a dramatic expansion in the South Atlantic Anomaly — a weak zone in Earth’s magnetic field, which shields our planet from harmful solar and cosmic radiation. The area in the Atlantic Ocean southwest of Africa has grown by nearly half the size of continental Europe since 2014 and has intensified since around 2020, according to a new report published in Physics of the Earth and Planetary Interiors.
The South Atlantic Anomaly, first described in the 19th century, stretches from South America toward Africa. This region of weakened magnetic shielding means satellites and spacecraft passing overhead are exposed to higher radiation, which can cause damage to electronics and onboard systems.
“The South Atlantic Anomaly is not just a single block,” said Chris Finlay, lead author and professor of geomagnetism at the Technical University of Denmark, to the European Space Agency. “It’s changing differently towards Africa than it is near South America. There’s something special happening in this region that is causing the field to weaken in a more intense way.”
