The International Association of Geomagnetism and Aeronomy (IAGA) released the 14th generation of the International Geomagnetic Reference Field (IGRF-14) on Nov 19, 2024, which included the Wuhan University Earth Magnetic Field Model (WHU-EMM) developed by WHU Professor Xiong Chao's team.

The IGRF is updated every five years and is the most widely used main magnetic field model worldwide. The IGRF-14 update integrates candidate models from 19 teams across countries including China, the United States, and the United Kingdom. The WHU-EMM model is now available on the IGRF-14 official website (See link: https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/products/international-geomagnetic-reference-field).

The WHU-EMM model predicts the global distribution of Earth's main magnetic field, including its northward, eastward, and vertical components.

The geomagnetic field is a crucial protective shield for Earth, blocking high-energy particles originating from cosmic rays and solar winds, thus safeguarding life on Earth from radiation. Research on the geomagnetic field helps reveal the Earth's internal physical structure and the laws of material motion. It also holds significant potential for applications in space weather, navigation, mineral exploration, and other fields.

The WHU-EMM model is based on nearly six years of observational data from four low-orbit satellites. Using Gaussian spherical harmonic analysis, the team developed a 13th-degree global main magnetic field model. This model has achieved comparable precision to international counterparts and has been further validated by comparing it with high-precision magnetic measurement satellite data. The research provides a scientific basis for future low-orbit satellite constellations to monitor the geomagnetic field and space environment.

Professor Xiong's team has long been engaged in ionospheric physics and satellite data analysis, and has participated in several international satellite projects. For the special issue of IGRF-14 (See link: https://www.springeropen.com/collections/IGRF14), Professor Xiong will serve as a guest editor alongside renowned scholars from around the world.