Post by CC on Jun 16, 2005 9:34:18 GMT -5
Our sun has a fairly regular polar reversals - the magnetic north becomes the magnetic south etc etc. The last one was in 2001 and we scarecely noticed it.
The next one is due in 2012 and it has spawned a wealth of doom and gloom websites out there (apologies if they belong to any member of TR!).
It got me thinking about polar reversal on earth and the implications that would have on the human race.
A little bit of research later and it appears that the earth does indeed experience periodical polar reversal. That is not to say that the earth tips over on it's axis - that would be an extinction event!
It means that if you were to hold a compass after a polar reversal, the hand would point to the geographical south as that is where the magnetic north would be.
Our poles are constantly wandering - only a little but it can be enough to confuse instruments that depend on the magnetic field. The poles are determined by the magnetic field which is in turn determined by the liquid core of the earth.
Geological evidence in the way lava flow has solidified confirms that polar reversal is a fact not a theory - the question remains when will it happen again and what will happen to us?
The biggest impact of a polar reversal, it appears, would be on migrating animals and birds who rely on the earth's electro-magnetic field for navigation. Low-orbitting satellites would also be in big trouble!!
The magnetic field at the moment is a little depleted and that does appear to have some worrying implications for the next solar polar flip and large amounts of UV radiation entering our atmosphere.
I know very little about this - just read something about it in the Sunday paper and looked it up on the web.
Perhaps someone out there has better possession of the facts than me as it is hard to see them through all the sensationalist armegeddon style websites out there!
The next one is due in 2012 and it has spawned a wealth of doom and gloom websites out there (apologies if they belong to any member of TR!).
It got me thinking about polar reversal on earth and the implications that would have on the human race.
A little bit of research later and it appears that the earth does indeed experience periodical polar reversal. That is not to say that the earth tips over on it's axis - that would be an extinction event!
It means that if you were to hold a compass after a polar reversal, the hand would point to the geographical south as that is where the magnetic north would be.
Our poles are constantly wandering - only a little but it can be enough to confuse instruments that depend on the magnetic field. The poles are determined by the magnetic field which is in turn determined by the liquid core of the earth.
Geological evidence in the way lava flow has solidified confirms that polar reversal is a fact not a theory - the question remains when will it happen again and what will happen to us?
The biggest impact of a polar reversal, it appears, would be on migrating animals and birds who rely on the earth's electro-magnetic field for navigation. Low-orbitting satellites would also be in big trouble!!
The magnetic field at the moment is a little depleted and that does appear to have some worrying implications for the next solar polar flip and large amounts of UV radiation entering our atmosphere.
I know very little about this - just read something about it in the Sunday paper and looked it up on the web.
Perhaps someone out there has better possession of the facts than me as it is hard to see them through all the sensationalist armegeddon style websites out there!