We use low frequency geomagnetic field measurements at two Antarctic stations to statistically investigate the longitudinal location of the polar cusp. The two stations are both located in the polar cap at a geomagnetic latitude close to the cusp latitude; they are separated by one hour in magnetic local time. At each station the Pc5 power maximizes when the station approaches the cusp, i.e. around magnetic local noon. The comparison between the Pc5 power at the two stations allows to determine the longitudinal location of the cusp. Our analysis is conducted considering separately different orientation of the interplanetary magnetic field. The results, which indicate longitudinal shifts of the polar cusp depending on the selected conditions, are discussed in relation to previous studies of the polar cusp location based on polar magnetospheric satellite data.

The points where the horizontal component of the geomagnetic field vanishes are located in polar areas, far away from the geomagnetic (analytic) poles and the poles of rotation of the Earth and, differently from the geomagnetic poles, can be found experimentally with a magnetic survey to determine where the field is vertical. The experimental determination of the area where the total field is perfectly vertical, commonly known as dip pole, is not simple, due to the remoteness and harsh climatic conditions; another difficulty is related to the short term geomagnetic field variations, due to the interaction with the external solar wind, which causes the magnetospheric dynamics, particularly evident at high latitude, and as a consequence a displacement of the dip pole. Actually, the study of the dip pole displacements over short time scales can be an important tool for monitoring the magnetospheric dynamics at high latitude. In this study we present the updated location of the the dip poles, using data from the Swarm ESA’s constellation of satellites along their almost polar orbits. We also analyse the spatial shift of these areas during different seasons and interplanetary magnetic field orientations.