Brazilian magnetic anomaly: this place is defenseless against radiation

There is a vast region on our planet in which the protective effect of the Earth’s magnetic field is practically absent. In this anomalous zone, an increased level of radiation is observed, and the operation of communication satellites and many devices is impossible due to non-standard geophysical parameters.

The region located in the Southern Hemisphere is called the Brazilian, or South Atlantic Magnetic Anomaly. The place where significant deviations from the norm are observed in the Earth's magnetic field covers most of South America and the southern part of the Atlantic Ocean. A magnetic field protects our planet from a constant stream of solar wind, but not in this strange place, where it is practically defenseless against a stream of radioactive particles. At this point, a magnetic field dip is observed, which means that the upper boundary of the protective layer is not at an altitude of 1200-1300 kilometers, but only at an altitude of 200-300 kilometers.

The Brazilian magnetic anomaly was discovered relatively recently, in 2011. This was preceded by a tragic incident in 2009, when a plane of a French airline crashed in Rio de Janeiro - Paris in this part of the Atlantic, and the equipment failure due to increased levels of radiation was called the cause of the tragedy. Scientists became interested in this strange circumstance, and after careful research, a zone of the Brazilian magnetic anomaly was discovered.

In addition to such equipment failures, this “gap” in the Earth’s magnetic field threatens the operation of spacecraft in orbit. For example, the famous Hubble telescope, passing in the area of the Brazilian magnetic anomaly, is forced to turn off part of its equipment in order to prevent its breakdown. Low-orbit communication satellites, in which equipment failures occur due to the lack of protection from the solar wind flow, also suffer from this anomaly.

The occurrence of this anomaly, according to scientists, may be due to global changes occurring with the Earth's magnetic field. In particular, over the past 150 years, a general weakening of the planet’s magnetic field has been recorded, which could lead to the appearance of such a site with reduced protection.