Abstract
Motionally induced electric and magnetic fields are investigated in the sea, crust, and mantle for large-scale low-frequency oceanic flows. It is shown that three-dimensional flows generate large-scale horizontal electric currents not present in two-dimensional motions. The resulting induced magnetic fields penetrate into the mantle inducing there electric currents. The degree of mutual induction between the ocean and the mantle depends on the parameter δmL, the ratio of the electromagnetic skin depth of the mantle to the horizontal scale of the flow. For δmL≫1 there is little mutual induction whereas for δmL≪1 there is strong coupling between the ocean and the mantle. It is shown that the variable V̄*, the conductivity-weighted, vertically averaged velocity is important in the generation of both local and large-scale electric currents. Expressions are derived showing that V̄, the vertically averaged velocity, can be determined from measurements of the induced electric and magnetic fields at the sea floor. Several special cases are calculated illustrating the influences of the mantle, the conducting sediments, and the horizontal scales of the motion.