Abinger 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 magnetogram 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 start in the 1840s and end in 1986 at which time digital recording of the magnetic field took over and magnetograms can be produced by computer graphic. 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. The magnetograms provide insight into: • the Earth’s outer core: long-term change (years to centuries) in the dynamo that sustains our magnetic field • space weather: short-term changes (seconds to days) in near-Earth space and on the ground • space climate: long-term change (decades to centuries) in solar activity and consequences for Earth’s environment All the above have an impact on human activities. For example, bad space weather affects technologies that we increasingly rely on, such as electrical power and GPS networks. In response to the threat of loss from degradation due to age and a desire to preserve and exploit old data, BGS undertook a programme of work to digitally photograph, archive and preserve the analogue paper records of magnetic field variation in the United Kingdom. Between 2009 and 2013, high-quality digital images of every available magnetogram were taken. These images are available to search online. Scientists and the general public around the world can now gain easy access to this historical dataset.地磁图（Magnetogram）是记录地球磁场强度与方向变化的资料。历史上，这类地磁图通过摄影技术被记录于纸质载体之上。英国境内共设有八个长期运行的地磁观测台：阿宾格（Abinger）、埃斯克尔代缪尔（Eskdalemuir）、法尔茅斯（Falmouth）、格林尼治（Greenwich）、哈特兰（Hartland）、邱园（Kew）、勒威克（Lerwick）以及斯托尼赫斯特（Stonyhurst）。英国地质调查局（British Geological Survey，BGS）还馆藏有埃文斯角观测台的地磁图记录，该观测台曾在1910至1913年英国南极考察期间，于罗伯特·福尔肯·斯科特的南极大本营持续运行。 该地磁图馆藏是全球存续时间最长的地磁序列数据集之一，提供了英国超过160年的连续磁场测量记录，时间跨度始于19世纪40年代，至1986年截止，此后磁场记录转为数字化模式，地磁图可通过计算机图形生成。这类图表通常展示24小时内的地球磁场变化情况。该馆藏是研究地磁暴、空间天气及地球磁场演化的宝贵且部分尚未得到充分开发的数据源。 这些地磁图可为以下研究方向提供关键视角： • 地球外核：维持地球磁场的发电机效应的长期变化（数年至数百年尺度） • 空间天气：近地空间及地面环境的短期变化（数秒至数天尺度） • 空间气候：太阳活动的长期变化（数十年至数百年尺度）及其对地球环境的影响 上述所有研究方向均会对人类活动产生影响。例如，极端空间天气会干扰人类日益依赖的各类技术，如电力系统与全球定位系统（GPS）网络。 鉴于纸质模拟记录因老化存在退化甚至丢失的风险，同时为了保存并挖掘旧数据的科研价值，英国地质调查局（BGS）开展了一项专项工作项目，对英国境内的磁场变化纸质模拟记录进行数字化摄影、归档与保存。2009年至2013年间，工作人员对所有可获取的地磁图拍摄了高质量数字图像。这些图像支持在线检索，全球范围内的科研人员与普通公众如今均可便捷获取这一历史数据集。