Repeat Station Activities

Abstract

A repeat station is a site whose position is accurately known and where accurate measurements of the geomagnetic field vector are made at regular intervals in order to provide information about the secular variation of the geomagnetic field. In this chapter we begin by giving a brief history of the development of repeat station networks. We then describe the instruments used to make measurements at a repeat station. These include fixing the position of the station, finding the direction of true north and measuring the components of the geomagnetic field. Emphasis is given to techniques and instruments that are in current use. We next discuss the procedures that are used to reduce the measurements to a usable form and consider the uses to which the reduced data are put. Finally, we discuss the continued importance of such data in the present era of satellite geomagnetic surveys.