Overview
- Researchers report the anomaly has grown since 2014 by an area nearly half the size of continental Europe based on ESA Swarm observations.
- Swarm data identify faster magnetic field deterioration since 2020 in a region of the Atlantic southwest of Africa.
- Lead author Chris Finlay says the anomaly is evolving differently toward Africa than near South America, underscoring its complex structure.
- One reversed-field area is moving westward over Africa, which contributes to the intensified weakening detected there.
- The weakened region raises risks for spacecraft, a concern illustrated by the 2016 loss of Japan’s Hitomi X-ray observatory during operations in the area.