FOTEINI VERVELIDOU

Earth is surrounded by a global magnetic field. This is mainly generated by the motion of its electrically conducting, iron-nickel-rich outer core. This process is known as dynamo and in particular, in the case of Earth, as geodynamo. It gives rise to a strong magnetic field, capable of encompassing the entire planet and protecting it from the disruptive effects of solar wind. More than 95% of the magnetic field strength measured at its surface originates in Earth’s outer core. The residuals originate from a complex superposition of sources, some internal and some external to the Earth’s surface. The second most significant internal source is the Earth’s lithosphere, Earth’s upper rocky layer. The rocks, like little magnets, sense the Earth’s core magnetic field and get magnetized along its direction. This magnetization produces a secondary magnetic field, known as the lithospheric magnetic field. In my work, I have dealt with various aspects of the study of Earth’s magnetic field with a main focus on its lithospheric magnetic field.

A major difficulty in modeling the lithospheric magnetic field using satellite measurements is disentangling its signal from the magnetospheric field signal. Read more about this here.

There are two main approaches in modeling the lithospheric magnetic field, the comprehensive and the sequential one. Read more about it here.

Earth’s crustal magnetization has two components: the so-called induced magnetization and the so-called remanent magnetization. Read more about this here.

The International Geomagnetic Reference Field is a global model of Earth’s large-scale and time-varying magnetic field that is produced every 5 years by a community-led effort under the auspices of IAGA (International Association of Geomagnetism and Aeronomy). Read more about it here.