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Earth's magnetic field currently weakening 10,000x faster than expected

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Perspicuo

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Could Earth's magnetic field be about to flip?
It's currently weakening 10,000x faster than expected.

IFLScience: Earth's Electromagnetic Field Is Weakening
http://www.iflscience.com/physics/earths-electromagnetic-field-weakening

The Earth's magnetic field, which protects us from radiation from space, is getting weaker. We don't yet know why this is, but new evidence confirms it is happening unevenly across the planet with some areas getting more protection.

Evidence of weakening of the magnetic field, and it's geographically inconsistent nature, has been tracked for decades, but the November 2013 launch of the European Space Agency's three satellite Swarm constellation has allowed unprecedented precision in measuring these changes.
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The field averages a strength of around 40,000nT, so even the loss of 80nT over North America (see above) is small. However, this is in a period of just six months – should the trend continue for long enough the effects could eventually become serious. A weaker magnetic field would expose the planet to increased radiation, both from distant supernovae and from the solar events, although there is no evidence that the doomsday scenario of a planet temporarily without any magnetic field at all has ever occurred.
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Measured magnetic field of the Earth depends on solar wind itself.
So it could be systematic change in solar wind. And secondly, it just happened that magnetic field started to dissipate the moment they started monitoring it with enough precision. And thirdly, few decades is nothing.
 
I read (sorry, no refs, was not paying enough attention) that this was possibly about a magnetic field inversion.
Apparently, study of magmatic rock layers has shown that kind of event has already occured in Earth history.
The question is how life (and even worse intelligent life relying on technology) will fare during the several months with a weak magnetic field while it inverts.
Anyone got more info on this hypothesis?
 
barbos said:
Measured magnetic field of the Earth depends on solar wind itself.
So it could be systematic change in solar wind. And secondly, it just happened that magnetic field started to dissipate the moment they started monitoring it with enough precision. And thirdly, few decades is nothing.
Click to expand...
My first thought was this is a precision thing and nothing else.
 
The field averages a strength of around 40,000nT, so even the loss of 80nT over North America (see above) is small. However, this is in a period of just six months – should the trend continue for long enough the effects could eventually become serious. A weaker magnetic field would expose the planet to increased radiation, both from distant supernovae and from the solar events, although there is no evidence that the doomsday scenario of a planet temporarily without any magnetic field at all has ever occurred.
Click to expand...

yesterday it rained about 1/2 inch. Today it rained 1 inch. This is a 100% increase! By 2015 most of the Earth will be completely covered in water!!!!

PANIC!!!!! (because panic sells lots of water bottles).
 
Perspicuo said:
Interesting enough, NASA has said...

The Sun's Magnetic Field is about to Flip
http://www.nasa.gov/content/goddard/the-suns-magnetic-field-is-about-to-flip/#.U7_2tUCmU1I



NASA.gov says, "In 2 or 4 months", posted on December 6, 2013. I wonder if it happened or "about to" can be stretched.
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I do wish that the writers of such stories didn't open them with a "startling news" slant. The Sun's magnetic field changes polarity about every eleven years. The "news" is that, in 2013, we were approaching another very regular and predictable change.
 
Doesn't the earth's magnetic field periodically flip polarity also? My recall is not all that fantastic, since this is a curiosity rather than a field of study, but I seem to recall that it's something that occurs once in a while over a very long span, something like once every few million years or so.
 
Emily Lake said:
Doesn't the earth's magnetic field periodically flip polarity also? My recall is not all that fantastic, since this is a curiosity rather than a field of study, but I seem to recall that it's something that occurs once in a while over a very long span, something like once every few million years or so.
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Yes, it does and has. There is uncertainty as to how long it takes and the results of such a flip. The greatest science worry is that it will spark a massive zombie apocalypse.
 
Emily Lake said:
Doesn't the earth's magnetic field periodically flip polarity also? My recall is not all that fantastic, since this is a curiosity rather than a field of study, but I seem to recall that it's something that occurs once in a while over a very long span, something like once every few million years or so.
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You're right. The Earth's magnetic field has changed polarity several times (five or six times if I recall correctly) in the last two million years. The Earth's polarity shift, however, is rather sporatic unlike the regular and predictable shift of the Sun's magnetic field polarity.

But, hey, you can't create panic and fear to sell your article if it isn't spun as a coming event that spells doom for humanity.
 
Jimmy Higgins said:
Emily Lake said:
Doesn't the earth's magnetic field periodically flip polarity also? My recall is not all that fantastic, since this is a curiosity rather than a field of study, but I seem to recall that it's something that occurs once in a while over a very long span, something like once every few million years or so.
Click to expand...
Yes, it does and has. There is uncertainty as to how long it takes and the results of such a flip. The greatest science worry is that it will spark a massive zombie apocalypse.
Click to expand...

Well I'm prepared then. I've got plenty of hatchets and shotguns set aside for the impending zombie doom.

skepticalbip said:
You're right. The Earth's magnetic field has changed polarity several times (five or six times if I recall correctly) in the last two million years. The Earth's polarity shift, however, is rather sporatic unlike the regular and predictable shift of the Sun's magnetic field polarity.

But, hey, you can't create panic and fear to sell your article if it isn't spun as a coming event that spells doom for humanity.
Click to expand...

Well that goes without saying. Without drama, there's no manufactured news at all!
 
In actual fact if the Earth's magnetic field flipped over now then the main problem would be the fate of modern technology. There should be mass extinctions if this event was a threat to animals like us.
 
They could not link any extinction event to earth magnetic field flipping.
I could be wrong but long time ago I read that in case of loss of magnetic field radiation levels would be 2x of normal. Not that big of a deal.
Magnetic field only saves against solar wind of charged particles (protons and electrons). It does not affect other kind of radiation, like gamma, UV, and extremely hard flux from other than sun sources.
We still have 10km of air against solar wind which is equivalent to 10 meters of water, and 10 meters of water is a lot.
But air travel could become problematic and will depend on sun flares.
 
steve_bnk said:
How many species rely on sensing the magnetic field?
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Migratory birds only I think. But I think they will have time to adapt to use Sun and weaker magnetic field.
Magnetic field inversion happens every 500K years, these birds survived previous ones just fine.
The really scary thing would be Yellow Stone eruption. Basically US is no more if it happens.
And unlike asteroid there is nothing you can do to prevent it.
 
barbos said:
steve_bnk said:
How many species rely on sensing the magnetic field?
Click to expand...
Migratory birds only I think. But I think they will have time to adapt to use Sun and weaker magnetic field.
Magnetic field inversion happens every 500K years, these birds survived previous ones just fine.
The really scary thing would be Yellow Stone eruption. Basically US is no more if it happens.
And unlike asteroid there is nothing you can do to prevent it.
Click to expand...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magnetoception#In_humans

Global political stupidity and divisions will prevent a global plan and system to deflect asteroids.

you woud think the west, China, and Russia would be willing partners in such a program.
 
steve_bnk said:
barbos said:
Migratory birds only I think. But I think they will have time to adapt to use Sun and weaker magnetic field.
Magnetic field inversion happens every 500K years, these birds survived previous ones just fine.
The really scary thing would be Yellow Stone eruption. Basically US is no more if it happens.
And unlike asteroid there is nothing you can do to prevent it.
Click to expand...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magnetoception#In_humans

Global political stupidity and divisions will prevent a global plan and system to deflect asteroids.

you woud think the west, China, and Russia would be willing partners in such a program.
Click to expand...
Russia will, as long as US stop pissing off them over issues like NATO expansion/Ukraine.
 
barbos said:
steve_bnk said:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magnetoception#In_humans

Global political stupidity and divisions will prevent a global plan and system to deflect asteroids.

you woud think the west, China, and Russia would be willing partners in such a program.
Click to expand...
Russia will, as long as US stop pissing off them over issues like NATO expansion/Ukraine.
Click to expand...

Collaborating with Russia as an equal partner would not be politically possible over here, same with collaborating with China.
 
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