At one point, an invisible shield between South America and the South Atlantic, which protects the ground, becomes amazing. There, the radiation from the sun manages to penetrate into a great intensity and directly affects satellites, orbital telescopes and even the international space station.
Scientists know this phenomenon as an anomaly of the South Atlantic (SAA), and its evolution retains careful and geophysical agencies around the world.
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The magnetic field of the earth, which is formed by the movement of liquid iron in the nucleus, acts as a peculiar shell against high -energy particles of solar wind. Without his life, it would be almost impossible. But in this region, which extends to Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay and part of the Atlantic Ocean, the shell weakens to an unusual point. NASA explains that when satellites go through an anomaly, “radiation increases and can damage its electronic systems.”
The effects are not theoretical. The Hubl telescope interrupts its observations every time it goes through the area to avoid mistakes in its chambers and sensors. The International Space Station itself is also forced to disable systems during the transit to reduce the risk. According to the data collected by the European Space Agency, the anomaly is slowly expanding and moving west at a speed of about 20 kilometers a year.
The visualization of the southern Atlantic anomaly between 2015 and 2025, which is generated by NASA, which shows how the intensity of the magnetic field is developing in the region.
Even more trouble is that over the last decade, SAA seems to be divided into two minimum intensity centers. One remains in South America and the other is younger off the coast of Africa. M researchersRoy UistThe study of the magnetic field from space claims that this process shows the internal imbalance in the dynamics of the Earth’s kernel that has not yet been fully understood.
This phenomenon opened the door to an alarming question: can it be prelude to the attachment of magnetic poles? Throughout the geological history of the planet, it has been putting its polarity several times, the last about 780,000 years ago.
Can it be prelude to the investment of magnetic pillars?
When this happens, the magnetic North Pole becomes the south and vice versa. Although some media have suggested that the anomaly is a sign that this process is close, experts are being cautious. “There is no evidence that we are at the rapid investment gate,” ESA scientists warn.
The most accepted explanation today contains the origin of the anomaly in a giant deep structure in Africa, known as the “African Superprum”. It is a hot and less dense mass of material that expands hundreds of kilometers under the bark, and when interacting with molten iron stream, distorts the magnetic field.
Presentation of anomaly.
Recent studies published in Geophysical Journal International They have strengthened this hypothesis, believing that heterogeneity in the land of the Earth is responsible for observed violations.
The anomaly also offers a natural laboratory to learn how to behave an earthly magnetosphere in extreme conditions. A study published in 2024 showed that their influence could even change the appearance of Aurora in unusual regions, an effect that opens new research lines on the link between ground magnetism and space climates.
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It seems that SAA will continue to change. Its expansion and displacement are measured, and its impact on satellites and forces of astronauts constantly control it.
For science, it is both a technological task and an opportunity to look at the heart of the planet and better understand how its geodynam is fighting. Because, although invisible to our eyes, what is happening in the South Atlantic can help us understand not only direct risks for our infrastructure, but also the magnetic future of the earth.
