From the “Thermometers? We don’t need no steenkin thermometers!” department and NASA comes this interesting story. Video follows.
As Earth warms, much of the extra heat is stored in the planet’s ocean – but monitoring the magnitude of that heat content is a difficult task. A surprising feature of the tides could help, however. Scientists at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, are developing a new way to use satellite observations of magnetic fields to measure heat stored in the ocean.
As Earth warms, much of the extra heat is stored in the planet’s ocean – but monitoring the magnitude of that heat content is a difficult task.
A surprising feature of the tides could help, however. Scientists at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, are developing a new way to use satellite observations of magnetic fields to measure heat stored in the ocean.
The method depends on several geophysical features of the ocean. Seawater is a good electrical conductor, so as the saltwater sloshes around the ocean basins it causes slight fluctuations in Earth’s magnetic field lines. The ocean flow attempts to drag the field lines along. The resulting magnetic fluctuations are relatively small, but have been detected from an increasing number of events including swell, eddies, tsunamis, and tides.
The magnetic fluctuations of the tides depend on the electrical conductivity of the water – and the electrical conductivity of the water depends on its temperature. This new method could be the first to provide global ocean heat measurements, integrated over all depths, using satellite observations.
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Could it be what their actually measuring is evaporation. Because the oceans conduct electricity does it split the week bond between hydrogen and oxygen, like in this video.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wwGx7qqQe-Y
No, they are measuring the magnetic field caused by the electric current induced in the conducting sea water by the tidal force of the Moon moving the water across the Earth’s magnetic field.
Lief , There are other things that move sea water around besides the moon .
“Most people grow up thinking that the tides are caused by the moon, and indeed that gravitational ‘pull’ of the moon is a major factor, as is the gravitational effect of the sun but there is another major factor, which is less often mentioned, and that is the force created by the rotation of the earth itself.”
http://www.astronomyknowhow.com/moon-tides.htm
“Although it is often asserted that the moon “controls” the tides, this is really an oversimplification of the tidal system. In fact there are many factors which determine the tides, including the moon, the sun, the rotation of the earth, the geomorphology of the ocean basin, and the location of the particular spot where you’re measuring the tide along that basin. All of these factors interact in a complex way to determine the specifics of the tide’s characteristics at each location on Earth. ”
http://scienceline.ucsb.edu/getkey.php?key=353
“Besides the natural daily variation in tide due to the gravitational effects of the moon, sun and other planets, there’s one more lesser known but major contributing factor to the current sea level.”
http://www.swellnet.com/news/swellnet-analysis/2016/04/19/inverse-barometer-effect
None of this matters [and besides, the pressure is also influenced by the Moon] as they are not tied to the very precise timing of the lunar phase. By locking the effect to the precise lunar phase you isolate that part which is directly run by the Moon.
Sounds like looking at an elephant through a microscope to me…..
From the “Thermometers? We don’t need no steenkin thermometers!”
Well, all began with stinking Thermometers.
Electricity through resistance causes heat. Which came first, the heat or the electric current ? And how much ? It’s a water world of about 70%. And is it voltage or current ? I know there are going to tell me it’s so small it doesn’t have any effect. Sure, you’re going to measure an electrical impulse over thousands of miles thats so small it doesn’t have any effect. Saltwater does conduct, but not like copper. And of nothing in the earth’s magnetic field is connected to anything in space…. I’ve been told that the ” total amount of energy wouldn’t melt a snowflake ” . Of course, nobody sticks a fork in a microwave oven when it’s running, or runs a ground out of it or a magnetic waveguide. Nothing to shape the extent or size of a radio field.