Read the article titled “Earth\'s Inconstant Magnetic Field” under the Earth’s M
ID: 1498842 • Letter: R
Question
Read the article titled “Earth's Inconstant Magnetic Field” under the Earth’s Magnetic Field terms section of the Science Corner. You can also view the article at http://www.nasa.gov/vision/earth/lookingatearth/29dec_magneticfield.html. Next, summarize the main reasons why the researchers stated that “our planet's magnetic field is in a constant state of change”. Then, discuss the overall manner in which a magnetic reversal might impact human activities on Earth. Include one (1) example of such impact to support your response. Demonstrate an instance of static charge such as seen with examples #31 or 32 shown on page 209 of your textbook. Next, post a picture of your example then explain the method of charging you used as well as the charges displayed in each object.
Explanation / Answer
It’s thought that the Earth’s magnetic field is generated by the molten iron core at the centre of the planet. The molten iron has currents of its own, just like an ocean, and these moving currents create the magnetic field. But the currents are not consistent and the Earth’s magnetic field moves around, with the magnetic north pole currently drifting by about 10 miles a year.
Birds, sea turtles and bees may get confused as they seem to use the magnetic field to navigate. More drastically, since the Earth’s magnetic field protects us from potentially harmful radiation from the Sun, as it fades we could well be faced with a disaster on a global scale. Fortunately, there’s no evidence in the fossil record of a magnetic field switch causing a species to die out.
The impending geomagnetic reversal probably won’t cause some kind of apocalypse — but we may have to live through a few decades of pigeons getting lost, bacteria behaving weirdly, and other semi-serious problems. There is certainly a possibility that something nasty and world-ending will be triggered by a geomagnetic reversal — but we should have plenty of warning (months, years) if that’s the case.
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