Earth's 'river of liquid iron' shields us from space radiation. But something changed 16 years ago
&imwidth=600&imheight=450&format=webp&quality=medium "Earth's 'river of liquid iron' shields us from space radiation. But something changed 16 years ago")
Earth molten iron layer representative image Photograph: (Freepik)
Scientists studied 30 years of data linked to Earth's inner processes and found that the liquid outer core changed direction in 2010. Ten years later, the movement started slowing down and could again go westward. This layer is what created Earth's magnetic field.
Scientists have discovered that the molten iron churning deep inside Earth abruptly changed directions around 2010. This goes against the common belief that this liquid outer core only travels westwards. The findings were made by researchers from the University of Edinburgh and published in the Journal of Studies of Earth’s Deep Interior. This molten iron surrounds the solid inner core and is the reason why life is possible on Earth. It creates the magnetic field that cocoons our planet and protects it from the harsh solar radiation. But it switched directions around the equatorial Pacific 16 years ago, leaving scientists questioning everything they know about this layer of Earth.
“Scientists now want to understand whether the reversal represents a short-lived fluctuation, part of a repeating oscillation, or a new stable equilibrium for core circulation," lead author of the study, Frederik Dahl Madsen, said in a statement. He added that this discovery "raises new questions about the behaviour of Earth’s deep interior." The team gathered 30 years' worth of data from ground observations and satellites for the study. ESA’s CryoSat and Swarm missions, and the German-launched CHAMP and Ørsted satellites, provided crucial information on the molten layer and its movements.
The combined analysis revealed a clear flow reversal in the Pacific Ocean. They noted that its westward movement was weak from 1997 until roughly 2010, and then it turned and started moving eastward. They clarified that this change does not alter Earth's protective layer, the magnetic field.
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They further stated that this reverse movement started to slow down in 2020, and could be tied to the inner core. "This study shows that regional changes can emerge rapidly within just a decade," ESA’s Elisabetta Iorfida said in a press statement. This information can also help scientists understand "possible interactions between Earth’s outer core, inner core, lower mantle", and offer insights into "core-mantle boundary."
Meanwhile, ESA’s Swarm Mission Manager Anja Stromm said that "long-duration satellite magnetic measurements allow researchers to follow changes in the geodynamo in near-real time and improve models of Earth’s magnetic field evolution."
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