Internal Magnetic Fields : IAGA Division I

Dr. Ján Šimkanin, is the Division Chair for IAGA Division I : Internal Magnetic Fields. Here, he answers some of our questions about himself and his division.

1) Could you please tell us something about yourself?

I work at the Institute of Geophysics of the Czech Academy of Sciences in Prague, Czech Republic. My research is aimed at the magnetoconvection in the Earth’s core and other planets, numerical modelling of Geodynamo and planetary hydromagnetic dynamos, and cosmic magnetohydrodynamics.

From 2011—2015, I was the Co-Chair of the working group I-1: Theory of Planetary Magnetic Fields and Geomagnetic Secular Variation of Division I – Internal Magnetic Fields of IAGA, and from 2015—2019, I was the Chair of the above mentioned working group. For 2019—2023 I am the Chair of Division I – Internal Magnetic Fields of IAGA.

2) What are the basic research questions of the IAGA division you head?

Division I of IAGA represents a variety of research fields including planetary magnetism, geomagnetism, palaeomagnetism and rock magnetism. Investigations are focused on theory of planetary magnetic fields, measurements from magnetic observatories and satellites, palaeomagnetic and archaeomagnetic records, secular variations, palaeointensities, geomagnetic field reversals, palaeomagnetism, environmental magnetism, biomagnetism and magnetic anisotropy, computational modelling combined with laboratory experiments.

3) Who are your main collaborators within IAGA and outside?

My main collaborators are Co-Chairs of Divisions I, i.e. Dr. Nicolas Gillet from University Grenoble Alpes, Grenoble, Dr. Julie Carlut from IPGP Paris (both from France) and Dr. Qingsong Liu from Department of Marine Science and Engineering, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen, China.

Internal magnetic field orientation comparison of different planets. (from 2007 Thomson Higher Education)

4) What are the past important results of this division?

— numerical simulations of the geodynamo at extreme parameters

— modelling of rapid field changes 

— geomagnetic data assimilation and inverse problems

— topographic coupling between the core and the mantle

— interdisciplinary approaches that include cooperation among archaeologists, geophysicists, geochemists, and soil scientists

— environmental magnetism applied to investigate past climate, environmental pollution, sediment transport and erosion

5) What do you think would be the future applications or impacts through this research?

—  characterising planetary fields (their existence, possible changes through time) would help understand and constrain the evolution of planets: what are the sources of energy (buoyancy, orbital forcings as tides and precession), with possible impacts on, e.g., atmospheric escape and possible  feed-back on mantle dynamics (e.g., through rheology).

—  understanding of rapid magnetic variations observed on the Earth would validate or not the existence of a stratified layer at the top of the core, with impacts on the CMB heat flux and the Earth's evolution through its history.

—  on the Earth it would also help forecast the current core field evolution, with impacts on space weather and the electro-magnetic environment of satellites.

— overall, planetary magnetic fields are full of mysteries, and understanding them is just beautiful in itself.

— the scope of palaeomagnetism has been extended gradually from traditional tectonic magnetism, variations in palaeomagnetic field and the related Earth's interior processes, to a wide range geological applications, including rock-, environmental-, bio-magnetism, and comparative planetology.

— these interdisciplinary applications can be used to resolve some major scientific questions that the whole human being's society cares, such as, will the polarity of the Earth’s magnetic field reverse in the future? Or is there life on Mars?