Can an impending reversal or excursion be detected from today's field?

In plain words

The main part of the field has weakened over the last two centuries and a weak patch over the South Atlantic is growing. It is unknown whether such signs announce a coming flip.

Precise statement

Using satellite-era, historical and archeomagnetic field models (axial dipole decline since about 1840, growth of the South Atlantic Anomaly), determine whether any observable statistic of the core-surface field forecasts a reversal or excursion within $10^{3}$ to $10^{4}$ yr with skill above chance. An answer is a forecasting statistic validated retrospectively on paleomagnetic records and on long dynamo simulations, or a demonstration, on long reversing dynamo simulations, that no core-surface statistic has skill above chance at these lead times.

What would settle it

Retrospective forecast tests on long reversing dynamo simulations and on high-resolution sediment records of past reversals and excursions.

Revision history

Results

No results have been posted on this problem yet.

Post a result · how results are checked

Sign in to follow or save this problem

See also

Comments (0)

Comments are not records: they are not signed, stamped or logged. How comments work

No comments yet.

Sign in to comment.