Earth Generates A Mysterious Magnetic Wave Every 7 years

Space.com

ESA’s Swarm satellite mission has discovered a mysterious magnetic wave that "oscillates every seven years and propagates westward at up to 1500 kilometers (932 mi.) a year."  Credit: ESA

Transcript

00:00Earth's magnetic field protects us from harmful particles in the solar wind.

00:12It extends deep into space, but is generated deep within our planet.

00:20By using satellites to measure fluctuations in the magnetic field,

00:24scientists are gaining new insights into Earth's interior.

00:29Unlike fixed observatories on Earth's surface,

00:32satellites can measure the magnetic field both globally and in great detail.

00:37The magnetic field is generated by swirling liquid iron in the outer core,

00:41which acts like a giant dynamo.

00:44Measurements from ESA's swarm satellites have revealed a new type of wave motion

00:48mapped at the core mantle boundary.

00:55The wave oscillates around every seven years,

00:58propagating westward at 1,500 kilometers a year.

01:08Combining these observations with a computer model of the geodynamo

01:11explains the source of magnetic field variations initially detected on the ground.

01:16the magnetic field from deep in the fluid core.

01:26Future measurements from space could help us understand more about the electrical properties of the lower mantle

01:29and about the magnetic field from deep in the fluid core.

01:44This research has important implications for our understanding of the geodynamo,

01:47the structure of the outer core, and the thermal history of Earth.

01:59The

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