Abstract
In this chapter we review several recent research results on the observed geomagnetic secular variation and secular acceleration, the core flow models inferred from these observations, and their implications, in particular those of the torsional oscillations, on short period secular variation and on the dynamical properties inside the core. We also provide a comprehensive review on the recent development in geomagnetic data assimilation, and its applications to predict future secular variation. Most of the reviewed research results are either reported in IAGA General Assembly in Soporan in 2009, or in the period between this and the previous IAGA conference.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution.
Buying options
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Learn about institutional subscriptionsReferences
Amit H, Olson P (2004) Helical core flow from geomagnetic secular variation. Phys Earth Planet Inter 147:1–25
Amit H, Aubert J, Hulot H, Olson P (2008) A simple model for mantle-driven flow at the top of the Earth’s core. Earth Planet Space 60:845–854
Aubert J, Amit H, Hulot H, Olson P (2009) Thermochemical flows couple the Earth’s inner core growth to mantle heterogeneity. Nature 454:758–761
Backus GE (1968) Kinematics of secular variation in a perfectly conducting core. Phil Trans R Soc Lond A263:239–266
Ballani L, Wardinski I, Stromeyer D, Greiner-Mai H (2005) Time structure of the 1991 magnetic jerk in the core-mantle boundary zone by inverting global magnetic data supported by satellite measurements. In: Earth Observation with CHAMP Results from three years in orbit. Springer, New York, NY
Beggan CD, Whaler KA (2009) Forecasting change of the magnetic field using core surface flows and ensemble Kalman Filtering. Geophys Res Lett 36. doi:10.1029/2009GL0399
Beggan CD, Whaler KA, Macmillan S (2009) Biased residuals of core flow models from satellite-derived `virtual observatories’. Geophys J Int 177:463–475
Bloxham J, Zatman S, Dumberry M (2002) The origin of geomagnetic jerks. Nature 420:65–68
Braginsky SI (1967) Magnetic waves in the Earth’s core. Geomag Aeron 7:851–859
Braginsky SI (1976) Torsional magnetohydrodynamic vibrations in the Earth’s core and variations in day length. Geomag Aeron 10:1–8
Braginsky SI (1989) The Z model of the geodynamo with an inner core and the oscillations of the geomagnetic dipole. Geomag Aeron 29:98–103
Braginsky SI and Roberts PH (1987) A model-Z geodynamo. Geophys Astrophys Fluid Dyn 38:327–349
Buffett BA and Seagle CT (2010) Stratification of the top of the core due to chemical interactions with the mantle. J Geophys Res 115. doi:10.1029/2009JB006751
Buffett BA, Jackson A (2009) Inversion of torsional oscillations for the structure and dynamics of Earths core. Geophys J Int doi:10.11111/j.1365-246X.2009.04129.x
Canet E, Fournier A, Jault D (2009) Forward amd adjoint quasi-geostrophic models of the geomagnetic secular variation. J Geophy Res 114. doi:10.1029/2008JB006189
Courtillot V, Le Mouël JL (1984) Geomagnetic secular variation impulses. Nature 311:709–716
Davis RG and Whaler KA (1997) The 1969 geomagnetic impulse and spin-up of the Earth’s liquid core. Phys Earth Planet Inter 103:181–194
Dumberry M (2010) Gravity variations induced by core flows. Geophy J Int 180:635–650
Dumberry M and Bloxham J (2003) Torque balance, Taylors constraint and torsional oscillations in a numerical model of the geodynamo. Phys Earth Planet Inter 140:29–51
Dumberry M and Bloxham J (2004) Variations in the Earth’s gravity field caused by torsional oscillations in the core. Geophy J Int 159:417–434
Eymin C, Hulot G (2005) On core surface flows inferred from satellite magnetic data. Phys Earth Planet Inter 152:200–220
Fournier A, Eymin C, Alboussiere T (2007) A case for variational geomagnetic data assimilation: insights from a one-dimensional, nonlinear, and sparsely observed MHD system. Nonlinear Proces Geophys 14:163–180
Gillet N, Jault D, Canet E, Fournier A (2010) Fast torsional waves and strong magnetic field within the Earth’s core. Nature doi:10.1038/nature09010
Gillet N, Lesur V, Olsen N (2010) Geomagnetic core field secular variation models. Space Sci Rev doi:10.1007/s11214-009-9586-6
Glatzmaier GA, Roberts PH (1995) A three-dimensional self-consistent computer simulation of a geomagnetic field reversal. Nature 377:203–209
Gubbins D (1982) Finding core motions from magnetic observations. Phil Trans R Soc Lond A306:247–254
Holme R (2007) Large-scale flow in the core. In: Olson P (ed) Core dynamics, treatise on geophysics, vol 8. Elsevier, Amsterdam: 107–130
Holme R, Whaler KA (2001) Steady core flow in an azimuthally drifting frame. Geophys J Int 145:560–569
Holme R, Olsen N (2006) Core surface flow modeling from high-resolution secular variation. Geophys J Int 166:518–528
Hulot G, Eymin C, Langlais B, Mandea M, Olsen N (2002) Small-scale structure of the geodynamo inferred from Oersted and Magsat satellite data. Nature 416:620–623
Jackson A (1997) Time-dependency of tangentially geostrophic core surface motions. Phys Earth Planet Int 103:293–311
Jackson A, Jonkers ART, Walker MR (2000) Four centuries of geomagnetic secular variation from historical records. Phil Trans R Soc Lond A358:957–990
Jault D (2003) Electromagnetic and topographic coupling, and LOD variations. In: Jones CA, Soward AM, Zhang K (eds) Earth’s core and lower mantle. Taylor and Francis, London, pp 56–76
Jault D (2008) Axial invariance of rapidly varying diffusionless motions in the Earths core interior. Phys Earth Planet Int 166:67–76
Jault D, Gire C and LeMouël JL (1988) Westward drift, core motions and exchanges of angular momentum between core and mantle. Nature 333:353–356
Jiang W, Kuang W (2008) An MPI-based MoSST core dynamics model. Phy Earth Planet Inter 170:46–51
Jiang W, Kuang W, Chao BF, Cox C (2007) Understanding time-variable gravity due to core dynamical processes with numerical geodynamo model. In: Dynamic planet 2005. IAG Proc 130:473–479
Kageyama A, Sato T (1997) Generation mechanism of a dipole field by a magnetohydrodynamical dynamo. Phys Rev E 55:4617–4626
Kalnay E (2003) Atmospheric modelingm, data assimilation and predictability. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK
Korte M, Constable CG (2005) The geomagnetic dipole moment over the last 7000 years—new results from a global model. Earth Planet Sci Lett 236:348–358
Kuang W (1999) Force balances and convective state in the Earth’s core. Phys Earth Planet Inter 116:65–79
Kuang W, Bloxham J (1997) An Earth like numerical dynamo model. Nature 389:371–374
Kuang W, Bloxham J (1999) Numerical modeling of magnetohydrodyanmic convection in a rapidly rotating spherical shell: weak and strong field dynamo actions. J Comp Phys 153:51–81
Kuang W, Chao BF (2003) Geodynamo modeling and core-mantle interaction. In: Dehandt V et al. (eds) The core-mantle boundary region. Geodyn Series 9 31:193–212
Kuang W, Tangborn A, Jiang W, Liu D, Sun Z, Bloxham J, Wei Z (2008) MoSST_DAS: the first generation geomagnetic data assimilation framework. Commun Comput Phys 3:85–108
Kuang W, Tangborn A, Wei Z, Sabaka T (2009) Constraining a numerical geodynamo model with 100 years of surface observations. Geophys J Int 179:1458–1468 doi:10.1111/ j.1365-246X.2009.04376.x
Kuang W, Wei Z, Holme R, Tangborn A (2010) Prediction of geomagnetic field with data assimilation: a candidate secular variation model for IGRF-11, Earth Planets Space (2010)
Langel RA, Estes RH (1982) A geomagnetic field spectrum. Geophys Res Lett 9:250–253
Langel RA, Kerridge DJ, Barraclough DR, Malin SRC (1986) Geomagnetic temporal change: 1903–1982, A spline representation. J Geomag Geoelectr 38:573–579
Larmor J (1919) How could a rotating body such as the Sun become a magnet. Rep Br Assn Advan Sci 159–160
Le Mouël JL (1984) Outer core geostrophic flow and secular variation of Earths magnetic field. Nature 311:734–735
Lesur V, Wardinski I, Rother M, Mandea M (2008) GRIMM: the GFZ reference internalmagnetic model based on vector satellite and observatory data. Geophys J Int 173:382–394
Lesur V, Wardinski I (2009) Comment on “Can core-surface flow models be used to improve the forecast of the Earth’s main magnetic field?” In: Stefan Maus, Luis Silva, Gauthier Hulot (eds). J Geophys Res 114 doi:10.1029/2008JB006188
Liu D, Tangborn A, Kuang W (2007) Observing system simulation experiments in geomagnetic data assimilation. J Geophys Res 112. doi:10.1029/2006JB004691
Mandea M, Olsen N (2006) A new approach to directly determine the secular variation from magnetic satellite observations. Geophys Res Lett doi:10.1029/2006GL026616
Maus S, Rother M, Stolle C, Mai W, Choi S, Lühr H (2006) Third generation of the Potsdam magnetic model of the Earth. Geochem Geophy Geosys doi:10.1029/ 2006GC001269
Maus S, Silva L, Hulot G (2008) Can core-surface flow models be used to improve the forecast of the Earth’s main magnetic field? J Geophy Res 113. doi:10.1029/2007JB005199
Olsen N, Mandea M (2007) Investigation of a secular variation impulse using satellite data: the 2003 geomagnetic jerk. Earth Planet Sci Lett 255:94–105
Olsen N, Mandea M (2008) Rapidly changing flows in the Earth’s core. Nature Geosci 1:390–394
Olsen N, Lür H, Sabaka TJ, Mandea M, Rother M, Tøffner-Clausen L, Choi S (2006) CHAOS–a model of the Earth’s magnetic field derived from CHAMP, Ørsted and SAC-C magnetic satellite data. Geophys J Int 166:67–75
Olsen N, Mandea M, Sabaka TJ, Tøffner-Clausen L (2009) CHAOS-2: a geomagnetic field model derived from one decade of continuous satellite data. Geophys J Int. 179:1477–1487 doi:10.1111/j.1365-246X.2009.04386.x
Olson P, Christensen UR (2006) Dipole moment scaling for convection-driven planetary dynamos. Earth Planet Sci Lett 250:561–571
Pais MA, Oliveria O, Nogueira F (2004) Nonuniqueness of inverted coremantle boundary flows and deviations from tangential geostrophy. J Geophys Res. doi:10.1029/2004JB003012
Pinheiro K, Jackson A (2008) Can a 1-D mantle electrical conductivity model generate magnetic jerk differential time delays? Geophys J Int 173:781–792
Roberts PH and Scott S (1965) On analysis of the secular variation, 1: a hydromagnetic constraint: theory. J Geomagnetic Geoelectric 17:137–151
Sabaka TJ, Olsen N, Purucker ME (2004) Extending comprehensive models of the Earth’s magnetic field with Ørsted and CHAMP data. Geophys J Int 159:521–547
Sun Z, Tangborn A, Kuang, W (2007) Data assimilation in a sparsely observed one-dimensional modeled MHD system. Nonlin Process Geophys 14:181–192
Taylor JB (1963) The magnetohydrodynamics of a rotating uid and the Earth’s dynamo problem. Proc R Soc Lond A274:274–283
Wardinski I, Holme R, Asari S, Mandea M (2008) The 2003 geomagnetic jerk and its relation to the core surface flows. Earth Planet Sci Lett 267:468–481
Wicht J, Christensen UR (2010) Torsional oscillations in dynamo simulations. Geophy J Int 181:1367–1380
Zatman SA, Bloxham J (1997) Torsional oscillations and the magnetic field within the Earth’s core. Nature 388:760–763
Acknowledgements
We thank Terence Sabaka, Nils Olsen and Mioara Mandea for their help on this manuscript. This work is supported by the NSF Collaborative Mathematical Geophysics (CMG) program under the grant EAR-0327875, by the NSF Collaborative Research CSEDI under the grant EAR-0757880, and by the NASA Earths Surface and Interior Program.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2011 Springer Science+Business Media B.V.
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Kuang, W., Tangborn, A. (2011). Interpretation of Core Field Models. In: Mandea, M., Korte, M. (eds) Geomagnetic Observations and Models. IAGA Special Sopron Book Series, vol 5. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-90-481-9858-0_12
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-90-481-9858-0_12
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Dordrecht
Print ISBN: 978-90-481-9857-3
Online ISBN: 978-90-481-9858-0
eBook Packages: Earth and Environmental ScienceEarth and Environmental Science (R0)