The primary objective of this US-Czech Joint Fund research project between Dr. Ctirad Matyska, Charles University, and Dr. David A. Yuen, University of Minnesota, is to investigate outstanding questions in solid earth geophysics from theoretical and numerical approaches. They will study the problem of the interaction between mantle convection and movements of the Earth's rotational axis. Of special focus will be the quantitative evaluation of large-scale mean-flow in the Earth's mantle. Additionally they will conduct a detailed inversion study of the transport properties inside the Earth from satellite observations of the gravity field and internal density fields inferred from seismology. This will be done using the latest experimental constraints on the relationship between seismic velocity variations and density changes. Based on their results , the researchers hope to develop numerical algorithms suitable for solving three-dimensional mantle convection problems on supercomputers and for rapid interpolation of large datasets needed for graphics and visualization. This research in geophysics fulfills the program objective of advancing scientific knowledge by enabling leading experts in the U.S. and Czech Republic to combine complementary talents and pool research resources in areas of strong mutual interest and competence. Funds for the project are awarded through the US-Czech Joint Fund, Prague, in accordance with established guidelines.
