Could Earth’s magnetic field reverse? See description

An important protective shield against solar radiation, Earth’s magnetic field not only protects life and the planet’s atmosphere, but also How does it work as a kind of natural GPS for wildlife and reduce geomagnetic disturbances? It can damage electrical networks and terrestrial communication systems.

Physicist Ofer Cohen, professor of Applied Physics at the University of Massachusetts in Lowell, USA, touches upon an important issue in an article published on the website The Conversation: changes in the location of the planet’s north and south magnetic poles. centuries.. They indicate changes in the geometry of the Earth’s magnetic field and may eventually be the beginning of a reversal between the two poles.

While small changes at the north pole may not be relevant, Cohen explains: A possible reversal could have a major impact on Earth’s climate and our modern technology.. But such reversals do not happen overnight and often occur “over thousands of years.”

What makes the Earth’s magnetic field?

Magnetic fields are produced by the movement of electric charges through conductive materials. In the case of Earth, this consists of the passage of negative charges, i.e. electrons, through the liquid iron core inside the planet. Currents move through the core, and the liquid iron itself moves and circulates.

The internal motion of these conductive layers results in two types of fields: larger ones with large-scale rotations create a symmetrical magnetic field with a defined north and south pole; and smaller flows that do not follow the pattern and present themselves as small anomalies, they cause large-scale changes over time.

Changing poles and reversing the Earth’s magnetic field

The location of this extreme point has been changing since scientists first measured the shape and direction of the Earth’s magnetic field in 1831. – does not overlap with the north geographic pole – It has already traveled approximately 965 kilometers. In recent years, the migration speed has increased from 16 km/h to 54 km/h.

But only 200 years of data is too short a period to talk about a field reversal. These reversals usually take 100,000 to 1 million years to occur.A short time period in geological terms, but very long in the human context.

Although it takes several thousand years for the magnetic poles to reverse, the orientation of the magnetosphere (the region of space where the Earth’s magnetic field interacts with the solar wind) can change during this period. and exposing parts of our planet to cosmic radiation that could change atmospheric ozone concentrations.

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