Randomization of the Earth's magnetic field driven by magnetic helicity

Abstract

It is shown, using results of numerical simulations and geomagnetic observations, that the spatial and temporal randomization of the Earth's global and local magnetic fields is driven by magnetic helicity (an ideal magnetohydrodynamic invariant). In the frames of the distributed chaos notion, the magnetic helicity determines the degree of magnetic field randomization and the results of numerical simulations are in quantitative agreement with the geophysical observations despite the considerable differences in the scales and physical parameters.