Ocean Currents Proposed As Cause of Magnetic Field

pjt33 notes a recently published paper proposing that ocean currents could account for Earth's magnetic field. The wrteup appears on the Institute of Physics site; the IOP is co-owner, with the German Physical Society, of the open-access journal in which the paper appears. This reader adds, "The currently predominant theory is that the cause of Earth's magnetic field is molten iron flowing in the outer core. There is at present no direct evidence for either theory." "Professor Gregory Ryskin from the School of Engineering and Applied Science at Northwestern University in Illinois, US, has defied the long-standing convention by applying equations from magnetohydrodynamics to our oceans' salt water (which conducts electricity) and found that the long-term changes (the secular variation) in the Earth's main magnetic field are possibly induced by our oceans' circulation."

Comments

First post

[Anonymous Coward]

You may be attracted to Slashdot, but you'll be repelled by my first post!

First magenetic field causing trout!

[Anonymous Coward]

I am a FISH!

Ahah!

[XPeter]

He predicted Global Warming...shocked the world with "An Inconvinient Truth"...and created the internet.

This can only mean one thing: Al Gore is the Messiah. Move over Obama, there's a new kid in town.

Re:I may be wrong, Im not an astrologer

[Anonymous Coward]

At a small air terminal in the Texas Panhandle, three strangers are awaiting their shuttle flight. One is a Native American passing through from Oklahoma. Another, a local ranch hand on his way to Ft. Worth for a stock show. The third passenger is an Arab student, newly arrived at the Texas oil patch from the Middle East.

To pass the time they strike up a conversation on recent events, and the discussion drifts to their diverse cultures. Soon the Westerners learn that the Arab is a devout Muslim. The conversation falls into an uneasy lull. The cowpoke leans back in his chair, crosses his boots on a magazine table, tips his big sweat-stained hat forward over his face. The wind outside blows tumbleweeds and the old windsock flaps, but no plane comes.

Finally, the Native American clears his throat and softly, he speaks: 'Once my people were many, Now we are few.' The Muslim raises an eyebrow and leans forward, 'Once my people were few,' he sneers, 'and now we are many. Why do you suppose that is?' The Texan shifts the toothpick to one side of his mouth and from the darkness beneath his stetson says, 'That's 'cause we ain't played Cowboys and Muslims yet.'

Troll???

[TapeCutter]

Trolling for what? - The huge number of religous freaks on slashdot?

I'm sick of patronising religious nuts "feeling sorry for me because jesus is not in my life", in other words it was a reverse premptive flamebait with a 180deg religious twist (standard difficulty rating - 666).

On a more serious note: I submit the doctrine of vicarious redmptiom via human sacrafice is utterly immoral