Do animals use the magnetic field for orientation?
Yes. There is evidence that some animals, like sea turtles and salmon, have the ability to sense the Earth's magnetic field (although probably not consciously) and to use this sense for navigation.
Related Content
How do salmon know where their home is when they return from the ocean?
Why measure the magnetic field at the Earth's surface? Wouldn't satellites be better suited for space-weather studies?
Does the Earth's magnetic field affect human health?
What is declination?
How does the Earth's core generate a magnetic field?
Is the Earth a magnet?
Do any mass extinctions correlate with magnetic reversals?
Magnetic monitoring in Saguaro National Park
On a sandy, arid plain, near the Rincon Mountain Visitor Center of Saguaro National Park, tucked in among brittlebush, creosote, and other hardy desert plants, is an unusual type of observatory—a small unmanned station that is used for monitoring the Earth’s variable magnetic field. Named for the nearby city of Tucson, Arizona, the observatory...
Love, Jeffrey J.; Finn, Carol; Gamez Valdez, Yesenia C.; Swann, Don
The Boulder magnetic observatory
The Boulder magnetic observatory has, since 1963, been operated by the Geomagnetism Program of the U.S. Geological Survey in accordance with Bureau and national priorities. Data from the observatory are used for a wide variety of scientific purposes, both pure and applied. The observatory also supports developmental projects within the...
Love, Jeffrey J.; Finn, Carol A.; Pedrie, Kolby L.; Blum, Cletus C.
The USA National Phenology Network; taking the pulse of our planet
People have tracked phenology for centuries and for the most practical reasons: it helped them know when to hunt and fish, when to plant and harvest crops, and when to navigate waterways. Now phenology is being used as a tool to assess climate change and its effects on both natural and modified ecosystems. How is the timing of events in plant...
Weltzin, Jake F.
Monitoring the Earth's dynamic magnetic field
The mission of the U.S. Geological Survey's Geomagnetism Program is to monitor the Earth's magnetic field. Using ground-based observatories, the Program provides continuous records of magnetic field variations covering long timescales; disseminates magnetic data to various governmental, academic, and private institutions; and conducts research...
Love, Jeffrey J.; Applegate, David; Townshend, John B.
Migration of Birds
Peter A. Anatasi, Associate Editor; Zimmerman, John L.; Peterson, Steven R.; Lincoln, Frederick C.
Mapping a Space-Weather Menace to Electric-Power Grids
New strides have been made toward quantifying how geomagnetic storms can interfere with the nation’s electric-power grid systems.
Invasive Burmese Pythons Are Good Navigators and Can Find Their Way Home
Invasive Burmese pythons in South Florida are able to find their way home even when moved far away from their capture locations, a finding that has implications for the spread of the species.
Track Loon Migration via Satellites Online
Loon migratory movements from current and previous studies using satellite transmitters can be followed online at the U.S. Geological Survey Upper Midwest Environmental Sciences Center (UMESC) website.
Media Advisory: Unraveling the Mystery of Avian Navigation
How birds find their way over great distances during homing and migrational flights is the subject of the U.S. Geological Survey public lecture on Thursday, March 31st. After nearly half a century of intensive research, biologists are still unable to agree on how birds manage to navigate with such uncanny accuracy.
Loons Tracked by Satellites Will Uncover Mysteries of Their Migration
Tagged Birds Will Shed Light on How Avian Botulism is Transmitted — Ten common loons are now sporting satellite transmitters so researchers can study the migratory movements and feeding patterns of these remarkable fish-eating waterbirds as they migrate through the Great Lakes toward their winter homes farther south.
International Team Tracks Shorebird along Previously Unknown Migration Route
Tracking an individual shorebird as it travels across its range from the far north is now possible, thanks to an international team of researchers led by U. S. Geological Survey (USGS) wildlife biologists Matthew Johnson and Susan Haig.
USGS, NOAA Mark 50 Years of Geomagnetic Research at Corbin, Va.
On May 23, 1956, a research center and observatory opened at Corbin, Va. to continuously monitor the Earth's magnetic field. It was charged by Congress "to enhance geomagnetic field studies and monitoring programs in support of scientific, general public, basic and national security needs of the United States."
Scientists Study the Long and Short of Pintail Duck Migration
On September 23, pintail 17530’s backpack transmitter beamed a signal from the southwest coast of Alaska to a satellite. She was flying south, 272 days after USGS scientists equipped her with a PTT, or platform transmitter terminal, last winter in California’s Central Valley, where nearly half of North America’s pintails winter.
Sea turtle
Green sea turtles are listed as threatened or endangered throughout their range. (Credit: Thierry Work, USGS)
Tracking the Migration of Bar-headed Geese
For more information on the movement of wild birds in Asia and how this relates to avian influenza viruses, see http://www.pwrc.usgs.gov/ai. The autumn migration routes of bar-headed geese captured before the 2008 breeding season at Qinghai Lake, China, were documented using satellite tracking data. Our results showed that there
Green Sea Turtle Swimming in Dry Tortugas National Park
Green Sea Turtle Swimming in Dry Tortugas National Park
Five bird migration flyways of the Pacific Ocean basin
Graphic depicting five bird migration flyways of the Pacific Ocean basin.
Public Lecture: Wandering Wildlife: Tracking movement, migrations and mileage, from wolves to wading birds
- Wildlife tracking technology has evolved from bird bands to satellite transmitters and has a wide range of applications in answering important conservation questions
- David Mech and Robert Gill will talk about the use of the latest state-of-the-art technology in tracking wildlife
- Mech shares the secret paths of a pack of 20 or more arctic wolves
Chart showing the Earth’s magnetic feild
This is one of five world charts showing the declination, inclination, horizontal intensity, vertical component, and total intensity of the Earth’s magnetic field at mean sea level at the beginning of 2005. The charts are based on the International Geomagnetic Reference Field (IGRF) main model for 2005 and secular change model for 2005-2010. The IGRF is referenced to the
...
