SMA home page
Welcome to the Scandinavian Magnetometer Array (SMA)
home page!
Overview
The SMA was operating during the International Magnetospheric Study (IMS)
in the years 1976-1979. With altogether 42 magnetometer stations, regularly
spaced along magnetic meridians over the whole Fennoscandia with highest
density in its northernmost part, it was the largest magnetometer array
ever builded up in this region (click here to get a map
and coordinates of the SMA stations).
Most of the magnetometer stations were operated by the University
of Münster / Germany (group of Prof. Dr. J. Untiedt). The Münster
instruments were of the classical type, with suspended magnets as the sensors
and analogue recording on film, so that the data needs to be digitized
for further analysis. Six flux-gate magnetometers, recording digitally
on magnetic tape, were operated by the Technical
University of Braunschweig / Germany (group of Prof. Dr. W. Kertz /
chain along magnetic meridian from KUU to SKA, see map
).
The project was carried out in cooperation with several groups from Finland,
Sweden, Norway, and Denmark. Much of the scientific coordination and of
the "in situ" work was done by Dr. W. Baumjohann and Dr. F. Küppers
from the University of Münster.
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For a detailed description of the Münster magnetometers, of the array
in general, and of the so-called "Kiruna coordinate system" used in most
of the SMA studies, see Küppers et al, J. Geophys. 46, 429-450,
1979
The main scientific objectives of the array are the study of the
auroral electrojet and other polar current systems, especially those related
to substorms. The very good spatial coverage of the array is most beneficial
for these purposes, allowing two-dimensional studies that resolve structures
down to 100 km scale length. Further on, many studies of geomagnetic pulsations
and on currents induced to the earth have been carried out. Since the magnetic
field alone does not allow an unique conclusion on the currents that have
caused it, most of the study were performed in cooperation with other groups,
using data e.g. from the STARE
coherent scatter radar, all sky cameras, riometers, and satellites.
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For a recent review of SMA-related studies see Untiedt and Baumjohann,
Space Sci. Rev. 63, 245-390, 1993
There is clearly still much science waiting to be gotten out of the data,
both from the events that are digitized (click here to get a
list
of the 67 digitized events), and also of the data not digitized yet
(for the future, it is planned to construct a new digitizing system that
should make it much more easy to digitize the data than it was at SMA times).
Everybody is invited to make use of the SMA data for scientific studies.
Nowadays, the Technical University of Braunschweig takes care of the data.
Click here to see how
to get SMA data.
Interesting links for today's magnetometer measurements in Fennoscandia
and analysis of magnetic data:
IMAGE home page - GAVIA
home page
Olaf.Amm@fmi.fi