Work

Atmospheric Radiocarbon: Implications for the Geomagnetic Dipole Moment

Year: 1983

Type: article

Abstract: The geomagnetic field is one of the major physical fields of the earth. Because its source is fluid motion in the outer core, it exhibits temporal changes, called secular variation, which are quite rapid compared to most geologic phenomena. The prehistoric secular variation is usually inferred from paleomagnetic data. We will discuss here how changes in the atmospheric 14C content can be used to gain additional insight into the behavior of the dipole moment over the past 8500 years. By rewriting the differential equations representing the 14C geochemical cycle in finite-difference form, we are able to convert the atmospheric 14C activity record into an equivalent radiocarbon dipole moment.

Source: Radiocarbon

DOI: 10.1017/s0033822200005531

Authors: R S Sternberg, P E Damon

Institution: University of Arizona

Language: English

Topic: Geomagnetism and Paleomagnetism Studies

Subfield: Molecular Biology

Field: Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology

Domain: Life Sciences

Open Access status: bronze

Funder: National Science Foundation

Award: The Radiocarbon Dipole Moment: an Improved Model and Its Extension Through the Bristlecone Pine Chronology