Evaluation of Magnetic Field Variations Induced by Submesoscale Processes in the Shallow Water Ocean Environment

The sea water as an electrical conductor moving in the magnetic field of the Earth induces electrical currents, which generate secondary magnetic fields. We have evaluated the magnetic signature of surface and internal waves, coherent structures, fronts, and freshwater lenses. A suite of hydrodynamic, magnetic, and remote sensing models for studying magnetic signatures of submesoscale ocean processes previously reported by Soloviev et al. (2013) has been upgraded with the ANSYS Maxwell model, which is capable of simulating magnetic permeability changes at the air-sea interface. This magnetohydrodynamic model has been verified in the laboratory conditions. Preliminary results of an experiment at the SUrge STructure Atmosphere INteraction facility (Kluge et al. 2017) suggest that an additional contribution to the magnetic signature of surface waves comes from the difference in magnetic permeability of the air and water, which is not accounted for in the traditional (Podney 1975) model. Magnetic properties of the seafloor, depending on the geological composition of substrata, can also affect the magnetic signature of oceanic processes in the shallow water environment (Smagin et al. 2014).