書誌事項
- 公開日
- 2010-02
- 権利情報
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- http://www.springer.com/tdm
- DOI
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- 10.1038/nature08754
- 公開者
- Springer Science and Business Media LLC
この論文をさがす
説明
Zonal jets are very common in nature. Well-known examples are those in the atmospheres of giant planets and the alternating jet streams found in the Earth's world ocean. Zonal flow formation in nuclear fusion devices is also well studied. A common feature of these zonal flows is that they are spontaneously generated in turbulent systems. Because the Earth's outer core is believed to be in a turbulent state, it is possible that there is zonal flow in the liquid iron of the outer core. Here we report an investigation at the current low-viscosity limit of numerical simulations of the geodynamo. We find a previously unknown convection regime of the outer core that has a dual structure comprising inner, sheet-like radial plumes and an outer, westward cylindrical zonal flow. We numerically confirm that the dual-convection structure with such a zonal flow is stable under a strong, self-generated dipole magnetic field.
収録刊行物
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- Nature
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Nature 463 (7282), 793-796, 2010-02
Springer Science and Business Media LLC
