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Plenary Lecture
Are we going towards a Global Planetary Magnetic Change? Possible Scientific
Perspectives and Consequences to our Everyday Life
Professor Angelo De Santis
Director of Research
Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia, Roma, Italy
and
Professor of Geophysics at
University G. D'Annunzio, Chieti, Italy
| Abstract:
The dipolar part of the geomagnetic field
has been decaying rapidly during the last few hundreds of years. In
addition to this classical argument, from Information theory applied
to geomagnetism, there are some evidences that the recent Earth
magnetic field is showing characteristics typical of a reversal in
progress. If this is true, many scientific and environmental questions
will arise. For instance, it will be of particular interest to monitor
the time-space dynamics the South Atlantic Anomaly, where the magnetic
field is strongly reduced (a sort of "planetary magnetic hole"). Here
we find one of the most favourite places where Low Earth Orbiting
(LEO) satellites are lost or present some damages, due to the vicinity
of "clouds" of electric particles (Van Allen belts) to the Earth's
surface. The decay of the field will also decrease the screening
effect to the solar wind and cosmic charges, so enhancing the cosmic
radiation illuminating our planet: possible negative consequences are
expected in terms of increase of skin cancers. Also important will be
the study of the possible evolution of the core dynamics that will be
generating this specific condition of the geomagnetic field.
Brief Biography of the Speaker:
I have been working since 1977 in the National Institute of
Geophysics and Vulcanology of Italy (INGV). I took my Doctor Degree in Physics (1984) at
University of Rome (Italy). My main interests are in: a) Models in Earth sciences, with
particular attention to geomagnetism; b) Search for nonlinearities in Geophysics; c)
Geomagnetic Deep Sounding; d) Potential Field Theory; e) Magnetometry and Riometry. My
present position at INGV is as Director of Research (since 1999). I have been Head of
Geomagnetism Group for 5 years (from 2000 to 2005). I received a Royal Society 5-month
Grant visiting the British Geological Survey (1987). Former Member of INGV Scientific
Committee 1999-2005 and former Member of ESA Swarm satellite Mission Advisory Group Phase
A. I am presently formal member of INGV and INFN (National Institute of Nuclear Physics of Italy)
Committee. Professor of Solid Earth Physics and then Geophysics at Chieti University (from 1998
to present). I have been member of 5 Italian expeditions in Antarctica and I coordinated all
scientific activities during the XI Antarctic expedition. I have been responsible of many
National and International Projects: Riometry, ARM I, II, REM within the “ItaliAntartide”
Program, 1993-2006; bilateral Cooperation Italy-Spain 1994-1996; bilateral Cooperations:
Italy-Czech Rep. 1996-1999, Italy-Albania 2002-2004; NATO 1999-2001. Vice-Responsible of
Space Weather Project within the “ItaliAntartide” Program, 1996-1999. I coordinate some
programmes of research in the framework of Oersted and Champ satellite missions 2001- present.
I cooperate with many Italian Universities following graduates and PhD for theses. I also
teach some PhD Courses in Geophysics (2000- present). I count around 140 scientific publications
(70% are International) and 150 scientific communications at national and international conferences.
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