Physics
Scientific paper
Jul 2008
adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2008pepi..168..179s&link_type=abstract
Physics of the Earth and Planetary Interiors, Volume 168, Issue 3-4, p. 179-190.
Physics
15
Origins And Models Of The Magnetic Field, Dynamo Theories, Core Processes, Magnetic Field And Magnetism, Interiors, Magnetic Field And Magnetism
Scientific paper
The presence of outer stably stratified layers in planetary cores has been suggested for Earth, Saturn and Mercury. In this study, we use a 3-D numerical dynamo model to investigate the effects of a thin stable layer surrounding a convecting interior on the produced magnetic field. We find that a stable layer can destabilize the field morphology through a thermal wind that produces unfavorable zonal flows throughout the core. The direction of these zonal flows is prograde in equatorial regions, unlike a model with no stable layer that has retrograde equatorial flows. Our models therefore suggest that the Earth does not have a stable layer since we observe a westward drift as opposed to an eastward drift. For Saturn, we find that due to coupling of the flows in the stable and unstable layers, the layer does not act to shear out the non-axisymmetry in the observed magnetic field, and therefore cannot explain Saturn’s axisymmetric magnetic field. For Mercury, we find that if the stable layer is thin, it can actively produce strong or weak surface fields and not necessarily attenuate smaller scale features through the skin effect.
Mohammadi Aylia
Stanley Sabine
No associations
LandOfFree
Effects of an outer thin stably stratified layer on planetary dynamos does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this scientific paper.
If you have personal experience with Effects of an outer thin stably stratified layer on planetary dynamos, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Effects of an outer thin stably stratified layer on planetary dynamos will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFWR-SCP-O-787623