Earth's Spin & Weather?

[Skippy]

Read an article on CNN.com today discussing a new report from Columbia University's Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory and the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign report in Friday's issue of the journal Science (here's the story). The study found that the Earth's solid core is spinning faster than the reast of the planet, and that that has some effect on gravity. But what interested me was a comment by Dr. Song; "..in a telephone interview that he expected that rate to vary over time and sometimes the core might be spinning slower than the rest of the planet."

Question 1: It has been shown that the planet's temperature has been cyclical. Could the swing in the core's spin rate affect the earth's temperature? Faster = warmer, Slower = cooler? Note that the study shows the core spinning faster now and we are going through a warming period.

Question 2: If the core spins faster than the crust at some times and slower at others, does that spin affect the length of a year? In other words, does the crust continue at the same rate regardless of the core's rate?

Question 3: What is it that causes the core to speed up and slow down? Magnetic effects? Friction?

[HydrogenBond]

Besides the faster spinning core, seismic waves travel faster north and south than east to west (about 4-5 seconds) even though the earth is wider at the equator. This would make the solid core stretched north and south. These anomolies seem to indicate that the 1950-60's ,earth has an iron core theory or dogma ,has finally reached the end of its shelf life. But dogma's don't go away easy.

The amount of energy needed for the core to spin faster than the mantle and surface can not be explained with iron magnetism or primal momentum, since there is too much friction that needs to be constantly overcome, especially if it slows and speeds up like was suggested. There needs to be a new earth core theory that allows the core to generate energy for spin.

[Fishteacher73]

Question 3: What is it that causes the core to speed up and slow down? Magnetic effects? Friction?

I started thinking about this one.. Perhaps the variances in magma constituants could possibly vary the viscosity in the immeadiate surroundings of the core or as the constituants shift their rlative temps are different and either input or detract thernal energy form the core altering is rotational velocity???
Just pondering...

[Erasmus00]

Originally Posted by HydrogenBond

Besides the faster spinning core, seismic waves travel faster north and south than east to west (about 4-5 seconds) even though the earth is wider at the equator. This would make the solid core stretched north and south. These anomolies seem to indicate that the 1950-60's ,earth has an iron core theory or dogma ,has finally reached the end of its shelf life. But dogma's don't go away easy.

There is no reason to throw out the theory. When you consider the iron lattice structures that form under very high pressures, it becomes very reasonable there should be a preferred direction for seismic waves in an iron earth core. It was this preferred direction that allowed the researchers to calculate that the core rotates faster then the crust.
-Will

[HydrogenBond]

The iron core is solid but not chemical but chemical plasma.. Besides that, in another post, I brought up the possibility that the core should be corroding due to critical water dissolving its way into the mantle. If surface magnetism and crystal structure is a reasonable analogy for the solid chemical plasma core so is iron core corrosion. The postulated corrision should cause the ocean levels to drop since the core 1000 times larger than the oceans. The fact that the ocean levesl haven't dropped seems to imply either there is no iron core or the surface analogies don't apply. The postuation of the iron core was based on surface analogy, ie., iron =magnetism. That would have been my first choice even in grade school. They added nickel to make it more resistant to corrosion while being consistant with magnetism. Adding some molybdenum would have made an even better corrosiion resistant alloy.

[Skippy]

Originally Posted by HydrogenBond

The iron core is solid but not chemical but chemical plasma.. Besides that, in another post, I brought up the possibility that the core should be corroding due to critical water dissolving its way into the mantle. If surface magnetism and crystal structure is a reasonable analogy for the solid chemical plasma core so is iron core corrosion. The postulated corrision should cause the ocean levels to drop since the core 1000 times larger than the oceans. The fact that the ocean levesl haven't dropped seems to imply either there is no iron core or the surface analogies don't apply. The postuation of the iron core was based on surface analogy, ie., iron =magnetism. That would have been my first choice even in grade school. They added nickel to make it more resistant to corrosion while being consistant with magnetism. Adding some molybdenum would have made an even better corrosiion resistant alloy.

Thanks everyone for the thoughts posted. On this latest post I wonder if Bernouli's Principle wouldn't keep water from venturing too far toward the core? The tremendous steam pressure created by water getting close to the superheated core should create a barrier to further seepage, no?

[HydrogenBond]

Actually molecular water would become plasma water as its enters the mantle, i.e., oxygen, protons and electrons. The diffusion of hydrogen toward the core would hook up with lower mantle oxygen to form plasma water, leading to an iron core dissolving. The iron core is only there because humans put it there. The early earth would never have allowed phase separation to begin with.

One may argue that maybe chemical potentials like concetration gradient diffusion and corrosion may not occur within plasma. If true that should also mean magnetic field inductions with iron and crystal orientation with plasma maybe not apply either. One can't have it both ways. They can show high pressure iron exhbiting the postuated crystal and magnetic properties. One can also atomize iron with water plasma, espeically since iron oxide is more stable than iron. But an iron oxide core won't create magnetism to the level required.