Statistical Simulations of Geomagnetic Secular Variation andReversals, or Can Paleomagnetism Help Dynamo Theory?

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This project is to use statistical simulations of geomagnetic secular variations and reversals to assess what contributions paleomagnetic data can make to our understanding of the geomagnetic field. A high priority in this work is to extend Constable and Parker's Giant Gaussian Process (GGP) model for the statistics of the geomagnetic secular variation to incorporate other secular variation models into a more general framework. This involves making predictions about expected VGP and field dispersion as a function of latitude for comparison and available paleomagnetic data. Intensity measurements will also be used to refine the model. Simulations will be used to assess the effects of different types of remanence acquistion on paleomagnetic records. An important feature in the GGP model is the time constants associated with variations in the field. It may well be that, along with the variance, these are the most useful parameters that paleomagnetists can provide for dynamo theoreticians.