Double diffusive finger convection at the top of the core

• Applicant: Professor Dr. Andreas Tilgner
• Subject Area: Geophysics
• Term: since 2023
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 520957279

We expect a layer at the top of the Earth's core in which gradients in chemical composition drive convection while the temperature gradient opposes it. A similar situation is frequently met in the oceans, in which salinity drives convection which is impeded by the temperature layering. Salt fingers appear in this case, which are slender structures in which fluid moves despite a stable density stratification. A similar flow must be expected in the Earth's core, except that the rotation of the Earth presumably matters for core convection whereas it is mostly irrelevant for finger convection in the oceans. This project uses laboratory experiments to determine the effect of global rotation on finger convection and its possible consequences for the Earth's core.

• DFG Programme: Priority Programmes
• Subproject of: SPP 2404: Reconstructing the deep dynamics of planet Earth over geologic time (DeepDyn)