Antarctic geomagnetic reference model updated to 2010 and provisionally to 2012

Abstract

The Antarctic Reference Model (ARM) has been here updated using recent geomagnetic data measured over the Antarctic continent from both ground observatories and satellites. This regional geomagnetic model is based on a Spherical Cap Harmonic Analysis (SCHA) of geomagnetic field measurements over a polar cap of 30° half-angle centred at the geographic South Pole, fixing the maximum spatial expansion index kmax=8 and the maximum temporal order of polynomials qmax=4. The importance of updating ARM model lies, for instance, in its usefulness for the reduction of magnetic surveys, performed during the period of model validity over the Antarctica, or for geomagnetic anomaly field estimations. Moreover, so far, ARM still remains the only regional reference magnetic model specifically constructed for the Antarctic continent. The present updated version can be considered valid from 1955.5 to 2010.0 with predictive coefficients up to 2012.0. The model includes the most recent available data but, in contrast to previous versions not only does it take advantage of a stricter selection of satellite data in order to consider even quieter periods of external magnetic activity, but it also includes ground observatory data previous to 1960 going back to 1955.8. Like the previous versions, the new updated model has been tested and compared with major global models to show its reliability over the region under investigation.