Overview

• An ESA-backed analysis finds the South Atlantic Anomaly has expanded markedly since 2014 by an area nearly half the size of continental Europe.
• Researchers say the weak-field zone is enlarging unevenly with a pronounced extension toward Africa based on 11 years of observations.
• Satellites traversing the region encounter higher doses of charged particles, increasing the likelihood of equipment malfunctions and potential damage to onboard systems.
• Scientists are investigating the cause of the intensified local weakening, with geomagnetism expert Chris Finley calling the behavior "something special."
• The monitoring also identified related changes, including weakening over northern Canada and west–east shifts, while a Russian researcher says the effect aligns with the offset between Earth’s magnetic and geographic axes and poses no direct danger to people.