Julien Aubert, CNRS, IPG Paris

I am a CNRS senior researcher working at the Institut de Physique du Globe de Paris (IPGP), within the Geological Fluid Dynamics team. 


I am interested in the interpretation of the geomagnetic signal emanating from Earth’s liquid outer core. Over a broad range of space and time scales, this signal is a powerful probe for investigating the structure, dynamics and geological history of our planet. Understanding the geodynamo is an outstanding fundamental challenge of Physical Sciences as well as Earth Sciences. 


To this end I develop and use direct numerical computer simulations of the dynamo process, as well as data assimilation algorithms aiming at forecasting the future evolution of the geomagnetic field. This has important societal impacts as the geomagnetic field interacts with life on Earth and with human technological activities.

what (according to my computer) lies beneath our feet

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Geomagnetic jerks numerically reproduced and explained

April 2019

The Earth’s magnetic field experiences unpredictable, rapid, and intense anomalies that are known as geomagnetic jerks. The mechanisms behind this phenomenon had remained a mystery until advanced numerical geodynamo simulations could simulate the rapid hydromagnetic wave dynamics that causes these anomalies. This research was published in Nature Geoscience on 22 April 2019.


Aubert, J. and Finlay, C.C.: Geomagnetic jerks and rapid hydromagnetic waves focusing at Earth’s core surface, Nature Geoscience 12, 393-398, 2019, doi: 10.1038/s41561-019-0355-1

A parameter space 'path' towards Earth's core

February 2017

A new theory has been formulated to link the conditions of current numerical geodynamo models to those of the geodynamo. A theoretical ‘path’ in parameter space is described between the two sets of conditions, and explored up to its half using approximated numerical simulations. This new generation of numerical geodynamo models enters a regime close to Earth’s core conditions that was previously out of numerical reach. 


Aubert, J., Gastine, T., and Fournier, A.: Spherical convective dynamos in the rapidly rotating asymptotic regime, J. Fluid. Mech. 813, 558-593, 2017, doi: 10.1017/jfm.2016.789


A weather forecast for Earth's core

January 2016

An operational forecast for the geodynamo evolution within the next century has been built from geomagnetic data provided by the Swarm mission of ESA and a numerical geodynamo model, by using geomagnetic data assimilation. The forecast predicts a continuation of the geomagnetic dipole decay as well as a broadening and deepening of the South Atlantic geomagnetic anomaly. 


Aubert, J.: Geomagnetic forecasts driven by thermal wind dynamics in Earth’s core, Geophys. J. Int. 203, 1738-1751, 2015, doi: 10.1093/gji/ggv394 


Forecast data download