Section 2.3: "Earth's Magnetic Field"

Working group leaders: Monika Korte, Vincent Lesur, Hermann Lühr

The scientific investigation of the Earth's magnetic field is the oldest branch of geophysics, and possibly even one of the oldest branches of scientific fields ever. In the Age of Discovery the magnetic field was measured intensively, both for scientific reasons and for navigation. Today measurements mostly serve to answer basic questions about dynamic processes occurring deep within the Earth, and in near-Earth space.

The dominant  main field originates in the Earth's fluid core. The second internal contribution comes from magnetized rocks in the lithosphere. The third contribution, varying rapidly in time, comes from outside the Earth (External field). Amongst the sources which contribute to the geomagnetic field, the oceanic magnetic field is the most faintest.

Our three working groups deal with the observation (M. Korte) and satellites (H. Lühr), the modeling (V. Lesur) and interpretation of the different field contributions. ...more