Aurora Watch
To mark the publication of the 2009 edition, Collins Road Atlases have teamed up with the University of Lancaster’s AuroraWatch team to warn GPS users of high aurora activity after research has revealed that the electromagnetic changes caused by the Northern Lights can degrade GPS signals and effect SatNavs.
Aurora Borealis – Background
The area of space surrounding the Earth is strongly influenced by solar activity. Electrically charged particles can be accelerated
down the Earth's magnetic field into the top of the Earth's atmosphere. This effect is particularly strong near the Earth's magnetic
poles where the shape of the Earth's magnetic field tends to funnel the incoming material. Collision between the precipitating
particles and atmospheric gases results in the glow of the aurora borealis (aka northern lights).
Work at Bath University has shown that the processes that give rise to the aurora can also have an impact on GPS signals. To study this effect they went to the part of the world where you see the aurora the most - the arctic.
Auroral displays are in the UK and tend to happen during periods of increased solar activity, varying in eleven year cycles. We are currently at the minimum activity of the cycle, with the maximum being about five and a half years away. However, that does not preclude activity impeding SatNavs in the interim period.
The AuroraWatch scheme at the University of Lancaster, uses instruments that measure changes in the magnetic field measured at the surface of the Earth (called "magnetometers"). Because the Earth's magnetic field is relatively static, rapid changes are due to electrical currents flowing through the ionosphere - the electrically charge layer of the Earth's atmosphere. Basically, rapid changes in magnetic field indicate disturbed conditions in the space environment of the kind that are likely to create aurora.
AuroraWatch monitors data in real time and produces an automated activity indicator, which gives and indication of the current level of geomagnetic activity in the UK. The system then goes on to email subscribers when activity reaches a certain level to alert them to the possibility of auroral activity in the UK.
Current Activity Reading :
To find out more, please visit the University of Lancaster AuroraWatch Website :
AuroraWatch at the University of Lancaster