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Old 07-09-2014, 06:32 PM
 
Location: where you sip the tea of the breasts of the spinsters of Utica
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Well, if it ain't one thing, it's another. If this were to happen quickly, I wonder if it would have a noticeable effect on iron-rich parts of the world? Such as cities I guess ..... other than electronics. Earth's Magnetic Field Is Weakening 10 Times Faster Now
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Old 07-09-2014, 07:05 PM
 
Location: Someplace Wonderful
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When I saw the title of this thread, my first question was "is this a signal of upcoming magnetic reversal?" I read the article and that seems to be the conclusion of those doing the study.

One of my sources cites a lot of sources who link magnetic reversals with climate change (the argument is complex, and I'd have to dig out the book and re-read it in order to properly explain the case) That author is predicting an ice age Real Soon Now.

At least there is no attributing this magnetic field thing to AGW
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Old 07-09-2014, 09:07 PM
 
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The consequences would be MUCH more serious than the article indicates. However, no sense in starting a world panic early.
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Old 07-09-2014, 10:21 PM
 
Location: Caverns measureless to man...
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Quote:
Originally Posted by chuckmann View Post
When I saw the title of this thread, my first question was "is this a signal of upcoming magnetic reversal?" I read the article and that seems to be the conclusion of those doing the study.

One of my sources cites a lot of sources who link magnetic reversals with climate change (the argument is complex, and I'd have to dig out the book and re-read it in order to properly explain the case) That author is predicting an ice age Real Soon Now.

At least there is no attributing this magnetic field thing to AGW

That was my first thought, too - that this could be the early stage of a geomagnetic reversal. If that is indeed what we're seeing, I don't think we need to worry much about climate change. I may be uninformed on the issue, but I'm unaware of any significant theoretical relationship between geomagnetic reversal and climate change. The only thing that really comes to mind is that a geomagnetic reversal would be associated with substantially different convection patterns in the molten core of the planet, which could conceivably lead to increased volcanic activity. This, in turn, could lead to more particulates and "greenhouse gases" in the atmosphere, which could theoretically affect the climate. But you've really got to reach pretty far to string that scenario together.

I suppose another possibility is that without the magnetic shield, our upper atmosphere would be hit by higher levels of solar radiation, which could affect cloud cover. Not quite sure how likely that is, or how serious it would be, but it's on e possible scenario.

I think that a far more serious possibility is that during some period of time during the reversal process, the Earth could be without a magnetic field altogether. This has apparently happened many times over the course of our planet's history, and it probably wouldn't have much of a direct effect on life in and of itself, but the loss of the geomagnetic shield could have severe - even catastrophic - effects on the planet's electrical power infrastructure. And that would not be a good thing, on any level.
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Old 07-10-2014, 04:53 AM
 
Location: Westwood, MA
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Woof View Post
Well, if it ain't one thing, it's another. If this were to happen quickly, I wonder if it would have a noticeable effect on iron-rich parts of the world? Such as cities I guess ..... other than electronics. Earth's Magnetic Field Is Weakening 10 Times Faster Now
I'm always wary of rates of rates that are given as multiples. Weakening ten times faster is quite different than the similar-sounding ten times weaker. Without further context weakening ten times faster has almost no meaning, especially since derivative quantities are extremely sensitive to random fluctuations. This isn't a criticism of the science but more of the article.
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Old 07-10-2014, 08:47 AM
 
Location: Someplace Wonderful
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Originally Posted by Albert_The_Crocodile View Post
I think that a far more serious possibility is that during some period of time during the reversal process, the Earth could be without a magnetic field altogether. This has apparently happened many times over the course of our planet's history, and it probably wouldn't have much of a direct effect on life in and of itself, but the loss of the geomagnetic shield could have severe - even catastrophic - effects on the planet's electrical power infrastructure. And that would not be a good thing, on any level.
Just one more thing to cause us sleepless nights. Let's see, asteroids, solar flares, earthquakes, and now magnetic fields and magnetic reversals.

Its a big bad solar system out there.
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Old 07-10-2014, 01:09 PM
 
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Originally Posted by chuckmann View Post
Just one more thing to cause us sleepless nights. Let's see, asteroids, solar flares, earthquakes, and now magnetic fields and magnetic reversals.

Its a big bad solar system out there.
No need to lose any sleep over it. A magnetic reversal of the poles is not the same thing as losing the magnetic field. We're not likely to lose the magnetic field altogether. Magnetic pole reversal is a process that occurs rather slowly. There's no geological evidence of it making a sudden jump. The worst would be a few temporary 'holes' in the field that could be present on 1 to 10 year time scales. A weak system could make power grids and satellites vulnerable to CMEs, but again most likely temporary. The shift could also be an issue for certain migratory animals. It could also be a hassle for aircraft but that issue can likely be adjusted one way or another. It wouldn't be an 'end-of-the-world' scenario. Here are a couple of links:

What If Earth's Magnetic Poles Flip? | Scientists Discuss the Effects of a Geomagnetic Field Reversal

What Will Happen When the Earth
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Old 07-17-2014, 07:23 AM
 
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...10 times faster than thought...

Well, that explains things, the title is just click-bait.
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