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FI takes over research and public functions of the Tihany Geophysical Observatory from 2023

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As of January 1, 2023, the ELKH Institute of Earth Physics and Space Science (FI) has taken over the research and public tasks of the Tihany Geophysical Observatory (TGO). This means that in the future the Sopron-based FI will carry out the continuous monitoring of changes in the geomagnetic field and the investigation of geomagnetism and the magnetized plasma environment of the near-Earth space. It will also be responsible for tasks related to international and domestic partnerships. In the medium term, employing new researchers and engineers and improving equipment will help achieve the integration and incremental development of the research carried out at TGO, as well its expansion in the direction of atmospheric physics and geodynamics.

Miklós Maróth, President of ELKH said: “It is the strategic goal of the Eötvös Loránd Research Network to participate in domestic and international research as a center of knowledge, competence and infrastructure. Activities of TGO align closely with the research profile of FI, and the transfer of tasks will herald an expansion in the scope of the scientific activities and infrastructure of ELKH, thereby contributing to the realization of this goal.”

TGO was created in 1955 to follow the model of the classic geomagnetic observatories of the 20th century. Its primary task is to provide constant monitoring of the Main Magnetic Field, to provide a base for what are known as secular variations (with a timescale of centuries) and magnetic field measurements, and also to determine current magnetic declination. Through the development of magnetometers and digital techniques, most of the routine tasks of the observatory have been automated since the 1980s, while the role played by geomagnetism in navigation has taken a back seat. The data collection and data provision protocol of the global network of geomagnetic observatories now primarily serves earth physics and space research, and within that, diagnostics of near-Earth space. The worldwide increase in interest in natural science and space technology due to dynamic changes in the planet’s environment has enabled meaningful international projects, predominantly in the field of space exploration and global variations.

The time series recorded by surface stations are an important complement to satellite measurements in understanding and modelling processes in the Earth’s plasma environment. Several independent and parallel systems are needed in order to observe changes in the Earth’s magnetic field with a high degree of accuracy over time. TGO and the Széchenyi István Geophysical Observatory in Nagycenk, which is already operated by FI, complement each other by making representative and geomagnetic observations of the entire Carpathian Basin.

Viktor Wesztergom, Director of FI emphasized that, "By having the operation of these two monitoring stations under single control, FI will be able to fully perform its public tasks in the fields of geomagnetism and aeronomy. This will make available a new, integrated research infrastructure for Hungarian Earth physics and space science, with all its scientific and applied geophysical potential.”

Located in an environment successfully shielded from electromagnetic disturbances, TGO at Cserhegy, Tihany has been increasingly involved in space research since the early 1990s, through both individual research initiatives and projects with partner institutions. In terms of tender application performance and scientific value, it is worth highlighting from among the former the European quasi-Meridional Magnetic Array (EMMA), a network of meridional magnetometers for plasma resonance research, and among the latter the Automatic Whistler Detector and Analyzer Network (AWDANet), a network for the study of electromagnetic wave modes along magnetic lines of force and the use of wave packet dispersion in the field of space weather. EMMA and AWDANet are both priority Hungarian space research programs led by FI researchers. In the future, their maintenance and the coordination of projects built on their basis will be the task of FI, which possesses the necessary expertise and experience in this area. Preparation is underway in both fields for numerous space research tenders and influential publications.

Research activities can be expanded, and opportunities exploited more effectively by employing additional researchers and engineers, as well as developing the equipment.

Tihany is an ideal location for scientific training – e.g. summer schools, university internships – and the dissemination of scientific knowledge – e.g. history of science, geophysical and space science exhibitions. Building on the synergies between Sopron and Tihany may help make better use of the exceptional potential of the facility.