Professor David Gubbins

Professor Gubbins is a visiting scholar from the University of Leeds. He will be at the School from October-December 2010.

Whilst he is here, Prof Gubbins will be working on a project titled 'Earth's Magnetic Field,' funded by the University of Sydney Visiting Research Fellowship Scheme 2010.

Project Summary:
The magnetic field measured by satellites has 3 distinct sources: the dynamo in the liquid core, magnetised rocks near the Earth’s surface, and the external, solar terrestrial environment. It is difficult to separate out the large-scale field (originates in the earth’s core) from the small-scale, permanent field (originates in the earth’s crust). This project aims to develop physical theories for the origin of each field to aid separation, accompanied by comparison with satellite data and iterative improvements. It is envisaged that this project will extend our knowledge of the core field to unprecedented fine resolution while establishing the larger scales of the crustal field.

Project Participants:
Prof David Gubbins and Prof Dietmar Müller