thats gonna suck. When or if the poles reverse, all of the cosmic radiation caught by Van Allen belts are going to dump tons of radiation on us. That'll really suck :m:
On the other hand it will be really easy to get a tan. Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image!
The entire article... Radiation mayhem if Earth's poles flip By Jonathan Leake in London January 13, 2003 THE North Pole is on the move. Scientists have found large holes appearing in the Earth's magnetic field, suggesting the north and south poles are preparing to reverse positions in a magnetic flip. A period of chaos could be imminent when compasses no longer point north, migrating animals head in the wrong direction and satellites are burnt up by solar radiation. The holes lie over the south Atlantic and the Arctic. The changes were revealed after detailed data from the Danish Orsted satellite was analysed. Results were compared with data from earlier satellites. The speed of the change has surprised scientists. Nils Olsen, of the Centre for Planetary Science in Denmark, one of several centres analysing the data, said the Earth's core appeared to be undergoing dramatic changes. He added: "This could be the state in which the Earth's geodynamo operates before reversing." The geodynamo is the way the magnetic field is generated: by currents of molten iron flowing around a solid core. Sometimes giant vortices form in the liquid metal and they can change or even reverse the magnetic fields above them. Olsen's team believes vortices have formed beneath the North Pole and south Atlantic. If they become powerful enough they could reverse all the other currents, causing the north and south poles to switch places. Andy Jackson, a specialist in geomagnetism at Leeds University, said a change was long overdue: "Such flips normally happen every 500,000 years, but it has been 750,000 years since the last one." The change could affect humans and wildlife. The magnetosphere gives vital protection against searing solar radiation that would otherwise sterilise Earth. Although the magnetic field would probably not disappear altogether, it may weaken while the poles switch. The resulting surge in radiation could cause cancers, reduce crops and confuse migrating animals, including whales and pigeons. The Sunday Times The Australian
Any clue on what type of radiation increase and time? Are we looking at a year of heavy Coppertone sales, or will this require even more drastic measures for a longer period? Staying indoors, night time becomes the active time, etc. It can't be too bad, life has survived without much upheaval through all the others.
Not only whales and pigeons but lobsters will be confused Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image! http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2003/01/0106_030106_lobster.html And I notice from the article above: Andy Jackson, a specialist in geomagnetism at Leeds University, said a change was long overdue: "Such flips normally happen every 500,000 years, but it has been 750,000 years since the last one." but in André's link (Guardian Unlimited): Dr Alan Thomson of the British Geological Survey in Edinburgh says, 'Reversals happen every 250,000 years or so, and as there has not been one for almost a million years, we are due one soon.' edit: Bruce Buffett (University of British Columbia) in "Role reversal in geomagnetism" Nature, vol. 401, 28 October, 1999, says "Subsequent increases in reversal rate over the past 80 Myr now yield reversals every 200,000 years on average." Misprint or they are awfully flexible with their timescales...
