Earth's magnetic field collapsing!

[Sarxis]

I saw a special on this, and during the reversal there isn't that much increase in radiation according to it (slight increase in cancer rates, for example).

But there will be Aurora in areas outside of the poles, like over London, etc.

[DaShi]

Between this and the sun blowing up, how am I supposed to get any sleep?

[Kuciwalker]

Originally posted by Ned
Skywalker, oh. We have no magnetic field data prior to 1845?

I don't know. I just mentioned that another poster said we didn't

[DaShi]

Yes, all data goes back only to 1845 when the Hall of Magnetic Field Data was mysteriously incinerated from above somehow.

[Vince278]

Originally posted by November Adam
Maybe we'll go back to sleep?

Back?

[Vince278]

Perhaps it is weakening because we are using too many magnets in everything. Time for a Kyoto Magnet Treaty.

[Ned]

Originally posted by skywalker


I don't know. I just mentioned that another poster said we didn't

Actually, if we do not have data prior to 1845, we may not know what the maximum field is. We might be far below the 90% of maximum that the story suggested.

[MrWhereItsAt]

Originally posted by Ned
Frozzy, is this phenomenon entirely self-contained or is it influenced or induced externally to the Earth?

Depends on what exactly causes the geomagnetic fiedl in the first place. Keep in mind that is is pure supposition that rotation of magnetic liquids inside the Earth is the cause of geomagnetism. There has been a model or two made using computers that shows reversals in magnetic polarity, but there is no way we can really do any experimental tests on something around 2500km deep.

The way the models show reversals is because of a complex rearrangement of circulation fields within the molten outer core. You couldn't just say for instance that the outer core slows and reverses flow direction. It may do, but this would be no easy process! Perhaps there are multiple layers with differing flow strengths and directions, and the interaction between these two (which gets increasingly more complex to model) leads to the flux of the geomagnetic field. Some solid Earth scientists are starting to believe in just such a dual-layer outer core model, but again, this is all just guesswork with computer simulations thrown in.

[Ned]

Originally posted by MrWhereItsAt


Depends on what exactly causes the geomagnetic fiedl in the first place. Keep in mind that is is pure supposition that rotation of magnetic liquids inside the Earth is the cause of geomagnetism. There has been a model or two made using computers that shows reversals in magnetic polarity, but there is no way we can really do any experimental tests on something around 2500km deep.

The way the models show reversals is because of a complex rearrangement of circulation fields within the molten outer core. You couldn't just say for instance that the outer core slows and reverses flow direction. It may do, but this would be no easy process! Perhaps there are multiple layers with differing flow strengths and directions, and the interaction between these two (which gets increasingly more complex to model) leads to the flux of the geomagnetic field. Some solid Earth scientists are starting to believe in just such a dual-layer outer core model, but again, this is all just guesswork with computer simulations thrown in.

Could this be a conservation of momentum issue? The magnetic field is a byproduct of currents of molten iron whose flow may be precessing to conserve momentum in some sort of environment. Since the period seems to be in the 100s of thousand of years, this suggests that the momentum that is being balanced is the solar system, does it not?

[Sava]

MOFG WE ARE ALL GONA DIE, WE MUST VGIVE MORE TAX CUTS AND PASS THE MAGNETIC PROTECTION PATRIOT ACT GIVING BUSH THE POWER TO HAVE SWEX WITH ALL NEWLY WED WOMENA!

[Zero]

my this is bad news.

I dunno about you guys, but i plan to live for quite a long time.... Im very concerned now...


I dont wanna die young!

[Zero]

Originally posted by Sava
PASS THE MAGNETIC PROTECTION PATRIOT ACT GIVING BUSH THE POWER TO HAVE SWEX WITH ALL NEWLY WED WOMENA!

is this because bush has a gene to survive all the radiation and therby allowing the future generation of humanity to inherit this magnificent ability!????

brilliant!

[Kuciwalker]

Originally posted by MrWhereItsAt
Depends on what exactly causes the geomagnetic fiedl in the first place. Keep in mind that is is pure supposition that rotation of magnetic liquids inside the Earth is the cause of geomagnetism. There has been a model or two made using computers that shows reversals in magnetic polarity, but there is no way we can really do any experimental tests on something around 2500km deep.

The way the models show reversals is because of a complex rearrangement of circulation fields within the molten outer core. You couldn't just say for instance that the outer core slows and reverses flow direction. It may do, but this would be no easy process! Perhaps there are multiple layers with differing flow strengths and directions, and the interaction between these two (which gets increasingly more complex to model) leads to the flux of the geomagnetic field. Some solid Earth scientists are starting to believe in just such a dual-layer outer core model, but again, this is all just guesswork with computer simulations thrown in.

I remember several Discover articles about a theory that it the core wasn't, in fact, nickel-iron. Rather, the guy thought it was uranium and the field was caused by its radioactive decay. The article said this accounted for the reversals too (I'm not sure how).

[gopher]

Hmm, magnetic field starting to collapse around 1840's.
Marx and Engels start to develop what would later be known as socialism/communism around the 1840's.
Conclusion: Commies cause Magnetic problems.
Solution: Throw all commies out of helicopters, no more magnetic problems.
Benefits: No more magnetic declenation

[Dauphin]

Originally posted by Ned


Could this be a conservation of momentum issue? The magnetic field is a byproduct of currents of molten iron whose flow may be precessing to conserve momentum in some sort of environment. Since the period seems to be in the 100s of thousand of years, this suggests that the momentum that is being balanced is the solar system, does it not?

I don't know how the Earth's magnetic field is supposed to flip but I do know how it supposedly happens in the sun's life cycles, and I'd imagine its a similar process on Earth.

Simply put, the sun's core is made up of several layers that rotate at differing speeds at differing latitudes and altitudes, each layer creating a different strength and orientation of magnetic field in each part of the sun. Effectively these fields superimpose upon each other and produce the external Heliospheric magnetic field that we can measure. Over time the alignments of these field changes, tightening and stretching the field strength to a maximum (visually the field lines look like the wringing of a towel tighter and tighter). Once a maximum is reached the field strength weakens again as the various magnetic fields of each part of the sun realign, and then eventually begin to unalign in the opposite direction.

There is no changing in direction of the flow or speed/momentum of the various parts of the sun though, just as there is no change in the rotation or motion of the Earth as it passes through the seasons from Spring to the the Summer (maximum) and then back trhough Autumn to the Winter (minimum). The solar cycle lasts for 11 years and is very regular.

At a guess the Earth's magnetic cycle is an erratic copy of the suns.