UK Magnetic Observatory Magnetograms

Magnetograms are records of variations in the strength and direction of the Earth’s magnetic field. Historically these magnetograms were recorded on paper using photographic techniques.
In the UK measurements were made at eight long-running observatories; Abinger, Eskdalemuir, Falmouth, Greenwich, Hartland, Kew, Lerwick and Stonyhurst. BGS also hold records from the Cape Evans observatory that ran continuously at Robert Falcon Scott’s Antarctic base camp during the British Antarctic Expedition 1910–13.
The magnetogram collection, one of the longest running geomagnetic series in the world, provides a continuous record of more than 160 years of UK measurements. These magnetograms span from 1846 to 1986 at which time digital recording of the magnetic field took over and magnetograms could be produced by computer graphics. The plots show variation in the Earth's magnetic field, typically over a 24-hour period.
The collection is a valuable, partly untapped data resource for studying geomagnetic storms, space weather and the evolution of the Earth’s magnetic field. Between 2009 and 2013 BGS undertook a programme of work to digitally photograph, archive and preserve the analogue paper records of magnetic field variation in the United Kingdom. These images are available to search online. Scientists and the public can now gain easy access to this historical dataset.