The geomagnetic field at any given epoch is a function of space coordinates, varying differently at each location with time. It has been known that secular change is a comparatively local phenomenon and that it does not proceed in a regular way all over the Earth, giving rise to regions where the field changes more rapidly than elsewhere, like for instance southern Africa. The Hermanus Magnetic Observatory routinely executes geomagnetic repeat surveys, which includes South Africa, Namibia, Zimbabwe and Botswana. Spherical cap modelling of field survey and observatory secular variation data at 5 year intervals between 1975 and 2000 shows that a geomagnetic jerk occurred between 1980 and 1985 over southern Africa. The secular variation models are based on 70 repeat station data central differences as well as the 3 magnetic observatories at Hermanus, Hartebeesthoek and Tsumeb (Namibia) and include terms up to spatial degree 3 and temporal degree 2. Although each model allows for 48 coefficients, only 42 were found to be statistically significant.

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Traditionally the separation of the ground geomagnetic field variations into external and internal parts is carried out by applying methods using harmonic functions. However, these methods may require a separate field interpolation and extrapolation, can be computationally slow, and require a minimum wavelength to be specified to which the spatial resolution is limited globally. A novel method that utilizes elementary current systems can overcome these shortcomings. The basis is the fact that inside a domain free of current flow, the magnetic field can be continued to any selected plane in terms of equivalent currents. Two layers of equivalent currents, each composed of superposition of spherical elementary systems, are placed to reproduce the ground magnetic field: One above the surface of the Earth representing the field of ionospheric origin, and one below it representing the field caused by induced currents in the Earth. The method can be applied for single time steps and the solution of the associated underdetermined linear system is found to be fast and reliable when using singular value decomposition. The applicability of the method is evaluated using synthetic magnetic data computed from different ionospheric current models and associated image currents placed below the surface of the Earth. Following these tests, the method is applied to the measurements of Baltic Electromagnetic Array Research (BEAR) (June-July 1998). External and internal components of geomagnetic variations were computed for the entire measurement period. Also the adequacy of the sparser IMAGE magnetometer network for the full field separation was tested.

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Westward drift is apparent not only in the Main Geomagnetic field (MG-field) but also in its Secular Variation (SV-field). The eighth generation of International Geomagnetic Reference Field (IGRF) is used in this paper to study westward drift in the SV-field. The magnetic potential of the SV-field shows a simple spatial distribution and steady variation tendency. An average westward drift rate (0.43 degree/year) is obtained from the SV potential for 1900-2005, which is much greater than the slow westward drift of the MG-field itself (about 0.15 degree/year) for the same period. Magnetic components Y and Z of the SV-field show complicated patterns, from which the average rates of westward drift are roughly estimated as 0.39 degree/year and 0.43 degree/year, respectively. The spatial distribution of component X shows much more complicated pattern with many small-scale vertices, especially for the period 1940-1960, giving a larger drift rate (0.51 degree/year). The unusual behaviors of the high-degree Gauss coefficients in IGRF 1945, 1950 and 1955 slightly affect the spatial pattern of the potential, although they greatly distort the distribution of components X, Y and Z.

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A time-dependent and line-by-line fluorescence model of the ν₇ band of C₂H₆ has been constructed. Collisional (neutrals and electrons) and radiative excitation effects have been considered in the calculations of fluorescence efficiency factors (g-factors) of the C₂H₆ ν₇ band. Since the lifetime of C₂H₆ is -91, 000 seconds at a heliocentric distance of 1 AU, C₂H₆ molecules far from the nucleus approach fluorescence equilibrium, while molecules within the contact surface should have a much colder rotational distribution due to collisional equilibration with the low temperature gases in that region. We would recommend using “single-cycle” fluorescence models for the analysis of ν₇ band spectra taken with small apertures centered on the nucleus. We analyzed a ν₇band spectrum of comet Hale-Bopp (C/1995 O1) obtained at the IRTF with the CSHELL on 2 March, 1997 (R = 1.1 AU, Δ = 1.5 AU) using a square aperture of 1, 000×2, 000 km, and constructed synthetic spectra to compare with the observation. We analyzed spatial brightness profiles of the ^RQ₀ sub-branch and found that the eastward profile is very well matched by the models, but the observed westward profile is clearly broader than the eastward profile suggesting asymmetric outflow and/or extended sources. We derived a C₂H₆ production rate of -1.7 ± 0.9 × 1028 molec s-1 from the inner coma region of the comet at the time of the observation.

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The north magnetic dip pole velocity has more than doubled in the last 30 years. This observation, together with the decrease in the Earth's magnetic dipole intensity over the last century has raised the concern of a possible approaching polarity reversal. We show that this rapid variation is in fact to be expected, and will not affect the dipolar field as a whole, but only the north magnetic pole. We demonstrate how this rapid displacement of the north magnetic pole is made possible by the horizontal field morphology. This rapid variation of north magnetic pole position does not imply any important modification of the core processes associated with field generation. The north magnetic pole position being very sensitive to small as well as rapid variations of the field, we show that it can very effectively be used as a passive tracer (or indicator) of field variations. Indeed, its velocity over the last century very accurately indicates the geomagnetic impulses (or jerks) that were so far observed only in observatory data.

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