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Scientists have recorded a rare reversal of the movement of molten iron and thought about what is happening in the depths of the planet.
Deeply under the Pacific Ocean there was a change that cannot be seen directly, but you can see from the magnetic field of the planet. A large flow of molten iron in the Earth’s outer core, previously slowly moving westward, turned around 2010 and began to flow quickly eastwards. Such a sharp turn made scientists reconsider the idea of a relatively stable circulation in the bowels of the planet.
The discovery was described by a group led by Frederick Daul Madsen of the University of Edinburgh. The researchers analyzed terrestrial magnetic observations and satellite data for 1997-2025. The work included measurements of European devices Swarm and CryoSat, the German satellite CHAMP and the Danish Ørsted. The model showed that the change affected a wide area of iron-containing liquid under the equatorial part of the Pacific Ocean.
The outer core consists of a conductive molten metal, the motion of which is supported by the Earth's magnetic field. Scientists can not look into the nucleus directly, so they restore the movement of the substance along small changes in the magnetic field. For a long time, observations pointed to the predominance of the Western current, but the reversal of the Pacific Ocean showed that some regions are able to significantly rebuild in just one decade.
The reason for the reversal, the researchers have not yet found. According to Madsen, a strong oral flow arose approximately simultaneously with changes in the behavior of the inner core, which were previously noticed using geodetic and seismological methods. The authors allow a connection between the two processes, but so far they consider such a connection only as a hypothesis. The model also indicates that after 2020, the eastern current under the Pacific Ocean began to weaken. The flow could make a temporary oscillation, go into a repetitive cycle or form a new stable circulation regime.
A key role in the work was played by the Swarm-based constellation, launched in 2013. The three devices measure the magnetic field with high accuracy and help separate the signals of the terrestrial nucleus from the influence of the crust, oceans, ionosphere and magnetosphere. Swarm appeared after the 2010 reversal, but long-term global observations made it possible to track the further development of the flow and detect rapid wavy changes that are easy to lose in more noisy data sets.
The reversal of flow does not mean immediate danger to humans or climate. Work helps to understand the mechanism that creates a magnetic shield of the planet. The magnetic field protects the Earth and near-Earth equipment from the charged particles of the solar wind, and gradual changes in the core affect navigation models, spacecraft and forecasts of space weather.
Researchers now have to find out whether the Pacific reversal was a rare episode or a sign of a more complex connection between the outer core, the solid inner core and lower mantle. New satellite observations can show how quickly the deep currents of the Earth change and what processes are hidden behind magnetic field changes.
Deeply under the Pacific Ocean there was a change that cannot be seen directly, but you can see from the magnetic field of the planet. A large flow of molten iron in the Earth’s outer core, previously slowly moving westward, turned around 2010 and began to flow quickly eastwards. Such a sharp turn made scientists reconsider the idea of a relatively stable circulation in the bowels of the planet.
The discovery was described by a group led by Frederick Daul Madsen of the University of Edinburgh. The researchers analyzed terrestrial magnetic observations and satellite data for 1997-2025. The work included measurements of European devices Swarm and CryoSat, the German satellite CHAMP and the Danish Ørsted. The model showed that the change affected a wide area of iron-containing liquid under the equatorial part of the Pacific Ocean.
The outer core consists of a conductive molten metal, the motion of which is supported by the Earth's magnetic field. Scientists can not look into the nucleus directly, so they restore the movement of the substance along small changes in the magnetic field. For a long time, observations pointed to the predominance of the Western current, but the reversal of the Pacific Ocean showed that some regions are able to significantly rebuild in just one decade.
The reason for the reversal, the researchers have not yet found. According to Madsen, a strong oral flow arose approximately simultaneously with changes in the behavior of the inner core, which were previously noticed using geodetic and seismological methods. The authors allow a connection between the two processes, but so far they consider such a connection only as a hypothesis. The model also indicates that after 2020, the eastern current under the Pacific Ocean began to weaken. The flow could make a temporary oscillation, go into a repetitive cycle or form a new stable circulation regime.
A key role in the work was played by the Swarm-based constellation, launched in 2013. The three devices measure the magnetic field with high accuracy and help separate the signals of the terrestrial nucleus from the influence of the crust, oceans, ionosphere and magnetosphere. Swarm appeared after the 2010 reversal, but long-term global observations made it possible to track the further development of the flow and detect rapid wavy changes that are easy to lose in more noisy data sets.
The reversal of flow does not mean immediate danger to humans or climate. Work helps to understand the mechanism that creates a magnetic shield of the planet. The magnetic field protects the Earth and near-Earth equipment from the charged particles of the solar wind, and gradual changes in the core affect navigation models, spacecraft and forecasts of space weather.
Researchers now have to find out whether the Pacific reversal was a rare episode or a sign of a more complex connection between the outer core, the solid inner core and lower mantle. New satellite observations can show how quickly the deep currents of the Earth change and what processes are hidden behind magnetic field changes.
𝗨𝗦𝗔 , 𝗘𝗥𝗢𝗨𝗣𝗘 & 𝗔𝗦𝗜𝗔 . 𝗝𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗳𝗶𝗻𝗱 𝗮 𝗻𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗯𝘆 𝗔𝗧𝗠 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗵𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗮 𝗮𝘁 𝗺𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗰𝗹𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝗰𝗮𝗿𝗱
