The viscous and Ohmic damping of the Earth's Free Core Nutation

Abstract:

The cause for the damping of the Earth's Free Core Nutation (FCN) and the Free Inner Core Nutation (FICN) eigenmodes has been a matter of debate since the earliest reliable estimations from nutation observations were made available. Numerical studies are difficult given the extreme values of some of the parameters associated with the Earth's fluid outer core, where important dissipation processes can take place. We present a numerical model for the FCN that includes viscous dissipation and Ohmic heating. We find an asymptotic regime, appropriate for Earth's parameters, where viscous and Ohmic processes contribute equally to the total damping, with the dissipation taking place almost exclusively in the boundary layers. By matching the observed damping and using the Earth's core rms magnetic field strength from independent studies, we find an enhanced effective viscosity indicating the presence of turbulence in the boundary layers.