19.08.2018 - 15:53 [ Phys.org ]

Are Rossby waves to blame for Earth‘s magnetic field drifting westward?

(16.5.2018) Humans first became aware of the Earth‘s magnetic field over 400 years ago, and since that time, have been taking measurements of it. As time passed, it became clear that the field was moving in a westerly direction—and nobody knew why. The actual reason is still not known—Bardsley is proposing a new idea: Somehow, Rossby waves in the Earth‘s outer core cause the magnetic drift.