The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC), which protects insured bank deposits, may be facing changes. According to CNNin late 2024, then-President-elect Donald Trump’s allies were talking about potentially dismantling the FDIC and putting the U.S. Treasury in charge of deposit insurance.
NPR reported that Project 2025 called for merging the FDIC and other banking regulators, and in the wake of Trump’s widespread federal employee firings, about 170 probationary FDIC workers were fired in late February. The FDIC rescinded more than 200 job offers to new examiners, and about 500 had accepted the Trump administration’s deferred resignation letter.
All of these shifts signal that other changes might be in store for the FDIC, prompting many Americans to feel unsettled about the safety of their bank accounts. If additional changes occur, knowing which actions to take can help you protect your money.
Cory Frank, certified financial advisor (CFA), co-Founder and CEO of Financial Roboraexplained that the FDIC insures deposits up to $250,000 per depositor, per account category, per bank at member banks. That insurance helps protect customers in case of a bank failure, building public confidence in the banking system and reducing the chance of a bank run.
“The FDIC oversees and examines financial institutions for safety, soundness and compliance with consumer protection laws,” said Frank.
It steps in to manage the closure of failed banks, pay insured depositors and liquidate assets, minimizing disruption and cost to the financial system. Additionally, the FDIC enforces consumer protection laws and monitors economic and financial risks that could threaten the banking system.
“If any of these functions were completely eliminated, there could be a gap remaining in the financial system that could be harmful to bank customers as well as the financial system as a whole,” explained Frank.
“The most obvious negative impact would be if bank deposit insurance were completely eliminated. In this scenario, approximately $10.7 trillion in currently insured bank deposits would become uninsured, significantly increasing risks for both customers and banks.”
However, that doesn’t mean that the FDIC will necessarily be eliminated or completely changed. According to Frank, dramatically changing the FDIC would be an uphill legal battle. The insurance coverage the FDIC provides could also potentially be moved to the Treasury while still functioning properly, he added.
If the FDIC were changed or eliminated, that doesn’t mean that your money isn’t protected. According to Dennis Shirshikov, many banks use risk management strategies to further protect customer funds in addition to the insurance provided by the FDIC.
Shirshikov has extensive experience in financial risk modeling and asset protection strategies as the educational leader at Fullmind Learning and as a finance professor at the City University of New York. He explained that many banks protect customers’ money by maintaining healthy capital reserves, properly diversifying their asset portfolios and by following strict regulatory rules.
“In selecting a bank, individuals should seek out institutions marked by transparent financial practices, a robust history of stability and clear risk management policies,” he advised.
Reports of Trump’s potential changes to the FDIC generated lots of anxiety, but Shirshikov emphasized the importance of not making any rash decisions with your money.
“Relying solely on fear to make rapid decisions is not something individuals should do since it produces a cascading effect that can cause a bank run, which can then affect the financial stability of the entire system,” he said.
Instead, Shirshikov recommended that consumers watch and wait, consult with financial advisors and confirm the soundness of their bank by reviewing its public financial reports and regulatory ratings.
The Federal Financial Institutions Examination Council (FFIEC) maintains a database of regulatory ratings of financial institutions supervised by the Federal Reserve, Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, FDIC, and Office of Thrift Supervision. The ratings are updated quarterly.
According to Frank, credit unions may not necessarily be a safer location for your money. He explained that federally-insured credit unions are covered by the National Credit Union Share Insurance Fund (NCUSIF).
The NCUSIF is managed by the National Credit Union Administration (NCUA), which is a federal agency. Though the structure of credit union deposits is slightly different than bank deposits, the insurance protects credit union deposits similarly in the way it protects banks: Up to $250,000 per member, per ownership category, per credit union is insured.
“If FDIC insurance were eliminated while NCUSIF coverage remained intact, credit unions would theoretically be safer than banks,” explained Frank. “However, the likelihood of FDIC insurance being eliminated is extremely low. I also would view larger banks as safer than smaller banks, as there is greater clarity with their financial performance and balance sheet strength.”
Shirshikov echoed that sentiment, highlighting the fact that small banks can deliver great service and deep local knowledge, but large banks have diversified portfolios and are under more regulatory scrutiny. Ultimately, the safety of a small bank or credit union is determined by whether it has strong financial safeguards and management practices in place.
Frank believes there is less than a 1% chance that the federal government will reduce FDIC insurance.
“The U.S. government would be shooting themselves in the foot with the potential of causing major bank failures and loss of trust in the entire banking system if they reduce deposit insurance to zero,” he said.
There are strategic ways you can maximize the safety of your money, though. Rather than move all of your money into a bank that you feel is safe, Shirshikov suggested individuals diversify their accounts through different institutions. If you have more than $250,000 in an account, transfer some money out to a different institution so that no one account exceeds the FDIC or NCUSIF coverage limits.
“Regularly checking in on bank performance reports, staying tuned into alternative financial instruments like money market funds or short-term government securities and even implementing private deposit insurance can all be additional ways to strengthen and protect one’s financial safety net,” said Shirshikov.
Editor’s note on political coverage: GOBankingRates is nonpartisan and strives to cover all aspects of the economy objectively and present balanced reports on politically focused finance stories. You can find more coverage of this topic on GOBankingRates.com.
Two teams that have never played each other before in this tournament face off on Saturday with a place in the FA Cup semifinals up for grabs, as Brighton host Nottingham Forest at the Amex Stadium.
Below, we’ll outline the best live TV streaming services to use to watch the game as it happens, wherever you are in the world, and how to use a VPN if they’re not available where you are.
Forest are having their best season for a generation, with boss Nuno Espirito Santo’s team becoming unexpected contenders in the race for the Premier League title.
Brighton’s undoubted low point so far this term was their 7-0 thrashing away in the EPL at the hands of their opponents today. That humiliation appears to have been the catalyst for a big improvement in form for the Seagulls since, and the hosts will be determined to avenge that stinging defeat today.
Brighton take on Nottingham Forest in this FA Cup quarterfinal match at the Amex Stadium on Saturday, March 29. Kickoff is set for 5:15 p.m. GMT local time in the UK, which is 1:15p.m. ET or 10:15 a.m. PT in the US and Canada, and 4:15 a.m. AEDT in Australia early on Sunday morning.
Danny Welbeck’s injury-time goal earned Brighton a 1-2 victory away at Newcastle in the fifth round of the FA Cup.
Richard Heathcote/Getty Images
How to watch the Brighton vs. Nottingham Forest game online from anywhere using a VPN
If you’re traveling abroad and want to watch live FA Cup soccer action while away from home, a VPN can help enhance your privacy and security when streaming. It encrypts your traffic and prevents your internet service provider from throttling your speeds, and can also be helpful when connecting to public Wi-Fi networks while traveling, adding an extra layer of protection for your devices and logins.
VPNs are legal in many countries, including the U.S. and Canada, and can be used for legitimate purposes such as improving online privacy and security. However, some streaming services may have policies restricting VPN usage to access region-specific content. If you’re considering a VPN for streaming, check the platform’s terms of service to ensure compliance.
If you choose to use a VPN, follow the provider’s installation instructions, ensuring you’re connected securely and in compliance with applicable laws and service agreements. Some streaming platforms may block access when a VPN is detected, so verifying if your streaming subscription allows VPN usage is crucial.
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Price $13 per month, $100 for the first 15 months (then $117 per year) or $140 for the first 28 months (then $150 per year)Latest Tests DNS leaks detected, 35% speed loss in 2025 testsNetwork 3,000 plus servers in 105 countriesJurisdiction British Virgin Islands
ExpressVPN is our current best VPN pick for people who want a reliable and safe VPN, and it works on a variety of devices. It’s normally $13 a month, but if you sign up for an annual subscription for $100 you’ll get three months free and save 49%. That’s the equivalent of $6.67 a month.
Note that ExpressVPN offers a 30-day money-back guarantee.
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Livestream the Brighton vs. Nottingham Forest game in the US
This match is streaming exclusively live in the US on ESPN Plus. Kickoff is at 1:15 p.m. ET on Saturday.
ESPN’s standalone streaming service costs $12 a month or $120 for an annual subscription. With it, you’ll be able to watch all of this season’s FA Cup fixtures. Read our ESPN Plus review.
Can I livestream the Brighton vs. Nottingham Forest game in the UK?
The great news for footy fans in the UK is that free-to-air broadcasters the BBC and ITV are sharing live duties for this season’s FA Cup, with this game being shown on BBC One. That means the game will be available to stream on BBC iPlayer.
Coverage begins at 5 p.m. GMT ahead of the 5:15 p.m. kickoff.
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You’ll be able to watch the game online for free via the network’s on-demand streaming service, BBC iPlayer.
With an app that’s available for Android and Apple mobile devices, as well as a vast array of smart TVs and streaming boxes, all you need is a valid UK TV license to stream the game.
Livestream Brighton vs. Nottingham Forest in Canada
Canadian soccer fans looking to watch this FA Cup fixture can watch all the action live via Sportsnet.
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Sportsnet is available via most cable operators, but cord-cutters can subscribe to the network’s standalone streaming service Sportsnet Plus instead, with prices starting at CA$25 per month or CA$200 per year.
Livestream the Brighton vs. Nottingham Forest game in Australia
Football fans down under can watch FA Cup matches live on streaming service Optus Sport.
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The logo for Australian streaming service Optus Sport.
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With exclusive rights to stream select FA Cup and all Premier League matches live this season, as well as German Bundesliga and Spanish La Liga games, streaming service Optus Sport is a particularly big draw for Aussie soccer fans.
If you’re already an Optus network customer, you can bag Optus Sport for a reduced price, with discounts bringing the price down to as low as AU$7 a month. If you’re not, a standalone monthly subscription to the service starts at AU$25.
Quick tips for streaming the FA Cup using a VPN
With four variables at play — your ISP, browser, video streaming provider and VPN — your experience and success when streaming FA Cup matches may vary.
If you don’t see your desired location as a default option for ExpressVPN, try using the “search for city or country” option.
If you’re having trouble getting the game after you’ve turned on your VPN and set it to the correct viewing area, there are two things you can try for a quick fix. First, log into your streaming service subscription account and make sure the address registered for the account is an address in the correct viewing area. If not, you may need to change the physical address on file with your account. Second, some smart TVs — like Roku — don’t have VPN apps you can install directly on the device itself. Instead, you’ll have to install the VPN on your router or the mobile hotspot you’re using (like your phone) so that any device on its Wi-Fi network now appears in the correct viewing location.
All of the VPN providers we recommend have helpful instructions on their main site for quickly installing the VPN on your router. In some cases with smart TV services, after you install a cable network’s sports app, you’ll be asked to verify a numeric code or click a link sent to your email address on file for your smart TV. This is where having a VPN on your router will also help, since both devices will appear to be in the correct location.
And remember, browsers can often give away a location despite using a VPN, so be sure you’re using a privacy-first browser to log into your services. We normally recommend Brave.
US law enforcement and wildlife officials have raided a marine park in Florida following allegations of “animal abuse” at the site.
Four dolphins have died at the Gulf World Marine Park in Panama City Beach in the past year, local media say.
Animal rights activists have recently posted drone footage appearing to show dolphins swimming in murky green tanks on the premises.
Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier said he would “not tolerate any animal abuse”. The BBC has contacted park owners The Dolphin Company for comment.
Florida’s Department of Law Enforcement and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) executed a search warrant at Uthmeier’s request, he said in social media post.
The warrant comes after The Dolphin Company apparently prevented FWC rangers from trying to check on the animals, local media reported.
The reports say three dolphins died at the park in October.
A fourth reportedly died earlier this month after hitting its head in the shallow end of a pool while performing tricks for an audience.
According to The Dolphin Company’s website, species held at the park include bottlenose dolphins, rough-toothed dolphins, sea lions, penguins, harbour seals, birds and reptiles.
UrgentSeas, an animal welfare organisation, has voiced concerns about the park.
“We’ve been documenting and publishing videos of Gulf World’s distressing conditions and will continue until those animals are urgently rescued,” UrgentSeas director Phil Demers told the BBC.
“My concern is that those animals will be forced to remain in place as conditions continue to deteriorate,” he said.
At the University of Pennsylvania last fall, someone splattered red paint on a statue honoring Benjamin Franklin, the school’s founder.
Within hours, campus workers washed it off. But the university was eager to find the culprit.
A pro-Palestinian group had claimed responsibility on social media. The university examined footage and identified a student’s cellphone number using data from the campus Wi-Fi near the statue at the time it was vandalized. Campus police obtained a search warrant for T-Mobile’s call records for the phone, and later a warrant to seize the phone itself.
On Oct. 18 at 6 a.m., armed campus and city police appeared at the off-campus home of a student believed to be the phone’s owner. A neighbor said they shined lights into her bedroom window, holding guns. Then they entered the student’s apartment and seized his phone, according to a police filing.
Months later, the student has not been charged with any crime.
The Penn investigation, which remains open, is one of several across the country in which universities have turned to more sophisticated technology and shows of police force to investigate student vandalism and other property crimes related to pro-Palestinian demonstrations. (The student who had his phone seized did not respond to an interview request.)
Much of it happened even before President Trump returned to office. Since then, he has made clear he will use his power to force universities to take a hard line on protests. His administration has warned 60 universities that they could face penalties from investigations into antisemitism, and has also begun seeking to deport protesters. At least nine current or former students and one professor who were legally in the United States with visas or green cards have already been targeted, with at least one student being detained on the street by officials in plainclothes.
And it pulled $400 million in funding from Columbia University, telling the school that it would not discuss restoring the money unless, among other things, campus security agents were given “full law enforcement authority” to arrest students. In response, the university said it had hired 36 “special officers” with that authority.
Civil rights lawyers and legal experts said the moves were a fundamental shift in the way universities respond to student disciplinary cases. While arrests and searches are already often within the authority of many campus police agencies, recent tactics go beyond what has been the standard for campus security officers, said Farhang Heydari, an assistant professor of law at Vanderbilt University.
Historically, Mr. Heydari said, campus police have tended to operate with discretion on matters that could affect students’ futures, in some cases notstrictly enforcing the law. Campus officers might look the other way on matters like underage drinking, for example.
If they enforced every law strictly, “everyone would be expelled, no one would be admitted to the bar or whatever,” he said, adding, “That would be horrible for the university.”
A ‘Fundamental Shift’
The widespread protests and tent encampments of spring 2024 have subsided, but pro-Palestinian demonstrations have continued, often peacefully but sometimes including acts of vandalism. Under pressure from federal officials and community members alike, many universities have moved to embrace tougher and more sophisticated security tactics to quell protest activity.
Some experts worry the tactics could endanger free speech and civil liberties, particularly in cases where students have had their property seized even though they have not been connected or charged with crimes.
“It really does just seem to be an expansion in law enforcement power that maybe didn’t exist 20, 25 years ago,” said Saira Hussain, a senior staff attorney at the Electronic Frontier Foundation, a nonprofit that advocates civil liberties protections online.
Universities have defended their tactics, saying they are necessary to protect students’ safety and combat discrimination. At Penn, the university said the apartment search was necessary to maintain order and safety.
“Unfortunately, a small group of individuals, some of whom may be students, continue to take disruptive and at times illegal actions against the university community,” the school said in a statement.
“They continue to flout policies and laws that they do not think apply to them, and then blame their own institution when they encounter consequences,” the university added. “Laws must be enforced uniformly and fairly and are not designed to be waived when they do not suit a particular viewpoint.”
The New York Times reviewed documents in seven vandalism cases that involved search warrants to investigate student protesters. One has resulted in criminal charges.
In one episode involving campus graffiti in November, a dozen law enforcement officers searched the family home of two George Mason University students who are sisters.
Authorities said they found Hamas and Hezbollah flags and other materials displaying anti-American rhetoric and an expression indicating “Death to America,” as well as four weapons and ammunition. But the authorities indicated that the materials and guns belonged to other family members living at the home, according to court filings.
The two women were barred from campus, but no charges have been filed.
In an open letter to George Mason authorities, 100 faculty, students, politicians and political groups protested the decision to bar the students.
The university’s president, Dr. Gregory Washington, said the search findings suggested that “something potentially more nefarious” was going on, according to an email he wrote to faculty obtained by The Times through a public records request. He also said the university was actively collaborating with “a number of three-letter agencies aimed at keeping our campus and quite frankly our country safe.”
Dr. Washington also posted a public letterand the university said it would have no additional comments on the case.
In a statement it said that, in general, “when it becomes necessary for the university to bar a student from entering campus, or impose an interim suspension on a student organization, such actions are taken carefully, with cause, and as precautions to preserve the safety of the university community environment.”
Concerns About Privacy
At Penn, following a public outcry about the search, a committee review found that the police had behaved professionally. But the review raised questions about how such a search might cause “discomfort and even fear.”
University police have sometimes cited social media posts to justify their warrant requests. But the posts are constitutionally protected speech, said Zach Greenberg, a First Amendment lawyer at the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression, a free speech group. He said the tactics could chill free expression.
Most students involved in surveillance cases were reluctant to talk about their experiences. Many students involved in protests have had their identities exposed or faced harassment.
“I’ve been doing legal work related to the right to protest for over 35 years, and I haven’t seen this kind of thing on college campuses,” said Rachel Lederman, senior counsel with the Center for Protest Law & Litigation.
Ms. Lederman represents, Laaila Irshad, a third-year undergraduate at the University of California, Santa Cruz, who had her cellphone seized by campus police. Ms. Irshad is asking a court to quash a warrant that led to the seizure. Almost six months after it was taken, it has not been returned and she has not been charged with a crime.
In an email, Ms. Irshad said she felt “incredibly exposed” at the thought that the police could review all of the data on the phone, dating back to when she was in fifth grade.
“Everything is open to them from my random messages with friends to my Google searches about health issues to my political musings to my super intimate messages with family,” she wrote.
A university spokesman said the warrant was related to an ongoing vandalism investigation, but would not describe the vandalism itself.
At least one warrant has led to a criminal case. At Indiana University Bloomington, a life-size sculpture of a former university president was vandalized with red paint on the anniversary of the Hamas attack on Israel.
After reviewing security footage, the university police obtained warrants to search a student’s car and cellphone. The investigator found photos of the statue covered in paint, and the student was charged with two counts of criminal mischief.
Warrants but No Charges
In several cases, students have not been charged with wrongdoing as a result of the warrants.
In September, three officers at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, arrived at the dorm room of Laura Saavedra Forero, a senior who had regularly participated in protests. Ms. Saavedra Forero’s lawyer, Jaelyn Miller, said she believed police officers targeted her client because she uses a wheelchair that made her easier to identify than other students.
They obtained a search warrant for her cellphone and everything on it, arguing it most likely contained evidence about vandalism related to a protest. The university said the warrant was related to vandalism of 10 campus buildings on Sept. 19, but declined to answer additional questions
“It’s very odd, for a low-level misdemeanor like the graffiti vandalism,” Ms. Miller said, “for U.N.C. to seek a search warrant against its own student, not because that student committed a crime, but purely because that student attended a protest and filmed at that protest.”
President Donald Trump announced on Friday that the law firm Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP preemptively cut a deal with the administration to ward off the potential threat of an executive order targeting the firm.
The deal requires the firm to provide $100 million in pro bono services to the Trump administration, Trump said during a White House appearance. A spokesperson for Skadden did not immediately respond to a request for comment or confirmation on the deal.
Skadden joins the New York powerhouse firm Paul Weiss in choosing to surrender to the Trump administration amid threats to their ability to access government contracts and maintain clients with such contracts. Unlike the situation with Paul Weiss, Trump did not even need to issue an executive order to get the firm to bend the knee.
Three other firms targeted by Trump — Perkins Coie, WilmerHale and Jenner & Block — have filed lawsuits challenging the orders targeting them. A federal district court judge already placed a temporary restraining order blocking Trump’s actions against Perkins Coie, saying that it “sent little chills down my spine.”
It isn’t clear why Skadden chose to seek out a deal with Trump, which The New York Times reported about on Thursday. There was no public indication that the firm would be targeted by an executive order. Billionaire White House adviser Elon Musk had singled out the firm on social media on Sunday for previously working on a case against conservative commentator Dinesh D’Souza. But that’s it.
The firm’s decision to voluntarily submit to Trump comes amid rising attacks from his administration on the legal profession. He has targeted five law firms with executive orders seeking to cripple their businesses, retracted security clearances from other lawyers, and issued an executive order that purports to allow the Department of Justice to disqualify individual lawyers or firms from cases challenging the administration.
This new deal also seems to up the stakes for other firms facing Trump’s threats. Paul Weiss agreed to provide $40 million in pro bono services when it surrendered. Now, Skadden has promised $100 million in services. The tribute price has gone up 150%.
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The other firms that have chosen to fight back have not minced words in their legal filings about the illegality of the executive orders.
The order targeting Jenner & Block “is an unconstitutional abuse of power against lawyers, their clients, and the legal system,” according to the lawsuit filed by the firm.
“The Order is an affront to the Constitution and our adversarial system of justice,” the lawsuit filed by Perkins Coie states. “Its plain purpose is to bully those who advocate points of view that the President perceives as adverse to the views of his Administration, whether those views are presented on behalf of paying or pro bono clients.”
Osasuna filed an appeal with the Spanish football federation (RFEF) on Friday stating Barcelona should not have fielded defender Iñigo Martínez in their LaLiga game over a technicality as he sat out Spain’s matches with an injury.
Martínez, who withdrew from the Spain squad for their Nations League games due to a swollen right knee, played the full 90 minutes in Barcelona’s 3-0 win on Thursday which moved the league leaders three points clear in LaLiga.
“The club understands that the participation of Iñigo Martínez in yesterday’s match violated article 5 of Annex I of the FIFA Regulations on the Status and Transfer of Players,” Osasuna said in a statement.
“[It] specifies that a player who does not join or leaves his national team for medical reasons may not play matches for his club during the five calendar days following the end of the international period.
“Osasuna believes that Iñigo Martínez, whose absence from the Spanish national team was due to a medical leave, was not eligible to play in yesterday’s match in accordance with FIFA regulations.”
The result left Osasuna 14th in the table, six points clear of the relegation zone.
Barcelona were originally meant to play Osasuna on March 8 but the death of Barcelona club doctor Carles Miñarro García forced the game to be rescheduled to March 27, just four days after Spain’s match as there was no other date available.
Both clubs had appeals for the fixture to be postponed rejected, with Barça unable to field some of their players such as one of their top scorers Raphinha, who had just returned from international duty.
RFEF regulations state in the instance of a club fielding a player who does “not meet the requirements to participate” the club shall forfeit the match and the opposition will be declared the winner.
NASA has been monitoring a strange anomaly in Earth’s magnetic field: a giant region of lower magnetic intensity in the skies above the planet, stretching out between South America and southwest Africa.
This vast, developing phenomenon, called the South Atlantic Anomalyhas intrigued and concerned scientists for years, and perhaps none more so than NASA researchers.
The space agency’s satellites and spacecraft are particularly vulnerable to the weakened magnetic field strength within the anomaly, and the resulting exposure to charged particles from the Sun.
The South Atlantic Anomaly (SAA) – likened by NASA to a ‘dent’ in Earth’s magnetic field, or a kind of ‘pothole in space’ – generally doesn’t affect life on Earth, but the same can’t be said for orbital spacecraft (including the International Space Station), which pass directly through the anomaly as they loop around the planet at low-Earth orbit altitudes.
During these encounters, the reduced magnetic field strength inside the anomaly means technological systems onboard satellites can short-circuit and malfunction if they become struck by high-energy protons emanating from the Sun.
These random hits may usually only produce low-level glitches, but they do carry the risk of causing significant data loss, or even permanent damage to key components – threats obliging satellite operators to routinely shut down spacecraft systems before spacecraft enter the anomaly zone.
Mitigating those hazards in space is one reason NASA is tracking the SAA; another is that the mystery of the anomaly represents a great opportunity to investigate a complex and difficult-to-understand phenomenon, and NASA’s broad resources and research groups are uniquely well-appointed to study the occurrence.
“The magnetic field is actually a superposition of fields from many current sources,” geophysicist Terry Sabaka from NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Centre in Greenbelt, Maryland explained in 2020.
The primary source is considered to be a swirling ocean of molten iron inside Earth’s outer core, thousands of kilometers below the ground. The movement of that mass generates electrical currents that create Earth’s magnetic field, but not necessarily uniformly, it seems.
A huge reservoir of dense rock called the African Large Low Shear Velocity Provincelocated about 2,900 kilometers (1,800 miles) below the African continent, is thought to disturb the field’s generation, resulting in the dramatic weakening effect – which is aided by the tilt of the planet’s magnetic axis.
“The observed SAA can be also interpreted as a consequence of weakening dominance of the dipole field in the region,” said Nasa Goddard Geophysicist and Mathematician Weijia Kuang in
“More specifically, a localized field with reversed polarity grows strongly in the SAA region, thus making the field intensity very weak, weaker than that of the surrounding regions.”
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Satellite data suggesting the SAA is dividing. (Division of Geomagnetism, DTU Space)
While there’s much scientists still don’t fully understand about the anomaly and its implications, new insights are continually shedding light on this strange phenomenon.
For example, one study led by NASA heliophysicist Ashley Greeley in 2016 revealed the SAA slowly drifts around, which was confirmed by subsequent tracking from CubeSats in research published in 2021.
It’s not just moving, however. Even more remarkably, the phenomenon seems to be in the process of splitting in two, with researchers in 2020 discovering that the SAA appeared to be dividing into two distinct cellseach representing a separate center of minimum magnetic intensity within the greater anomaly.
Just what that means for the future of the SAA remains unknown, but in any case, there’s evidence to suggest that the anomaly is not a new appearance.
A study published in July 2020 suggested the phenomenon is not a freak event of recent times, but a recurrent magnetic event that may have affected Earth since as far back as 11 million years ago.
If so, that could signal that the South Atlantic Anomaly is not a trigger or precursor to the entire planet’s magnetic field flippingwhich is something that actually happens, if not for hundreds of thousands of years at a time.
Obviously, huge questions remain, but with so much going on with this vast magnetic oddity, it’s good to know the world’s most powerful space agency is watching it as closely as they are.
“Even though the SAA is slow-moving, it is going through some change in morphology, so it’s also important that we keep observing it by having continued missions,” Said sabaka.
“Because that’s what helps us make models and predictions.”
An earlier version of this article was published in August 2020.
