Plots refresh every 60 seconds.
Magnetic field H (nT) over time (UTC)
Change in magnetic field dH (nT/min) over time (UTC)
Near real-time magnetic field data are plotted above for six sites across New Zealand. During geomagnetic storms, large disturbances in the magnetic field occur, which are often occupied by the aurorae or the Southern Lights. These magnetic disturbances pose a threat to large infrastructure like power grids and pipelines, so the MANA network is used to monitor magnetic field conditions and mitigate possible threats.
The MANA magnetometer network is operated by the University of Otago Space Physics group, as part of the Solar Tsunamis project since 2022 and is funded by the New Zealand Ministry of Business Innovation and Employment. If you intend to use the data or plots for scientific purposes, please acknowledge and contact us.
The Awarua magnetometer observatory is the Southernmost magnetometer hosted at the Awarua Space Centre located between Invercargill and Bluff in Southland. As this magnetometer is the southernmost and closest to the Southern pole, it usually has the largest magnetic field disturbances.
Please note that data is currently noisy at this site due to electrical issues.
The Chathams magnetometer is the most remote magnetometer observatory in the network, located on Chatham Island, approximately 800km East from Christchurch. As the magnetometer is so far away, magnetic disturbances seen here are often quite different from the mainland. The installation was made possible thanks to the aid of Tūhura Otago Museum and Te One Science House on Chatham Island.
The Northland magnetometer is installed on a rural farm on the boundary between Tutamoe and the Mataraua Forest in Northland. The Northernmost of our magnetometers, the magnetic field disturbances here are by far the weakest, hence aurora are rarely visible. However, occasionally during the largest storms they can still become visible.
The Eyrewell Magnetic Observatory is located near Eyrewell Forest outside of Christchurch. The magnetometer is operated by GNS Science who provide the data to the MANA network. Eyrewell is the oldest running magnetometer in New Zealand, operating since 1987 and is the main magnetometer in New Zealand used to access threats related to geomagnetic storms.
The Swampy magnetometer observatory is located at the University of Otago’s Radio Science Hut atop Swampy Summit, one of the three peaks overlooking Dunedin. The location of this site is quite far South, with magnetic fields disturbances here usually only slightly weaker than those at Awarua. The magnetometer also happens to predate the MANA network, with it first installed in 2017.
