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Joint inversion of daily and long-period geomagnetic variations reveals lateral variations in upper mantle and transition zone water content
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  • Federico Daniel Munch,
  • Alexander V Grayver,
  • Martina Guzavina,
  • Alexey Kuvshinov,
  • Amir Khan
Federico Daniel Munch
Insitute of Geophysics, ETH Zürich

Corresponding Author:[email protected]

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Alexander V Grayver
Insitute of Geophysics, ETH Zürich
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Martina Guzavina
Institute of Geophysics, ETH Zurich
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Alexey Kuvshinov
Institute of Geophysics
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Amir Khan
Swiss Federal Institute of Technology
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Abstract

We present a novel approach to investigate variations in upper mantle and transition zone (MTZ) water content based on the joint analysis of electromagnetic (EM) signals originating in the ionosphere and magnetosphere. We inverted EM signals (period range 6 hours–85 days) to probe the electrical conductivity structure underneath 20 geomagnetic observatories, accounting for the complex spatial structure of the ionospheric and magnetospheric sources. The joint inversion of EM data for the daily and long-period bands led to a significantly improved model resolution in the upper mantle and MTZ. The conductivity profiles reveal significant lateral variability, which we interpreted in terms of upper mantle and MTZ water content by a stochastic coupling of electrical conductivity with constrains on the mantle thermo-chemical structure derived from the analysis of seismic data. Our results suggest the existence of a relatively dry MTZ beneath Europe and a water-enriched MTZ underneath North America and northern Asia.