9 
2 General Remarks 
Wingst Geomagnetic Observatory was established in 1938 as a successor to 
Marineobservatorium Wilhelmshaven (WLH). Since then, the station has been operated without 
interruption. The observatory’s development is described by Voppel, 1988. The development of the 
modern recording devices is given by Schulz, 1998a (see appendix 3). 
The observatory is located in the Lower Elbe area on top of an terminal moraine of the Saale 
glacial period (elevation 50 m). Its co-ordinates are: 
Latitude 
Longitude 
Geographic 
53° 44.6’N 
09° 04.4’E 
Geomagnetic 
54.2° 
95.3° 
Geomagnetic co-ordinates refer to DGRF (Definitive Geomagnetic Reference Field) 1980. 
The following abbreviations are used throughout this report: 
X North component 
Y East component 
Z Vertical component (downward positive) 
H Horizontal intensity 
D Declination (eastward positive) 
/ Inclination (downward positive) 
F Total intensity 
U North-west component 
V North-east component 
Times are related to UTC (Co-ordinated Universal Time). 
2.1 Recording systems 
The results of this edition were derived from the following recording systems: 
a) Digital system for variations: 
Suspended fluxgate magnetometer (FM) of type FGE(DMI) (U, V, Z): One-minute and hourly 
means; indices of activity from 1997 on 
Proton precession magnetometer (PPM) of type V75(VARIAN) (F): One minute spot values for 
quality check only 
b) Photographic system for variations of type SCHULZE/LA COUR (D, H and Z; 20 mm h' 1 ): Indices 
of activity up to 1996; geomagnetic events (ssc, sfe, bay) and substitute hourly means 
c) Photographic system for pulsations of type KIM762(KARMANN) (amplitude and phase 
characteristics see yearbook No 30 (1984): Geomagnetic events (pc, pi)