First scalar magnetic anomaly map from CHAMP satellite data indicates weak lithospheric field

Satellite magnetic anomaly maps derived by different techniques from Magsat/POGO data vary by more than a factor of 2 in the deduced strength of the lithospheric magnetic field. Here, we present a first anomaly map from new CHAMP scalar magnetic field data. After subtracting a recent Ørsted main and external field model, we remove remaining unmodeled large-scale external contributions from 120 track segments by subtracting a best-fitting uniform field. In order to preserve N/S trending features, the data are not filtered along-track. Direct integration of the spherically gridded data yields the final degree 14-65 spherical harmonic expansion of the total intensity anomaly at the mean satellite altitude of 438 km. Apart from enhanced long wavelength features and a smoother general appearance, our initial map is strikingly similar to one of the lower strength Magsat/POGO maps.