Magnetic Field Survey with the Aid of Polar Patrol Balloons in Antarctica

Abstract

A Polar Patrol Balloon (PPB) accomplished a complete circumpolar flight over the Antarctic. The total intensity of the geomagnetic main field measured by an onboard magnetometer shows a satisfactory agreement with that calculate from IGRF-model. A coincidence of the actual PPB trajectory with that calculated from the wind data indicates that the wind flow with the synoptic scale has little variability in the summer stratosphere in Antarctica. The novel PPB systems open new fields for the detailed observations of polar phenomena at a balloon altitude.