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How would it affect daily life other than compasses being wrong? Would humanity even survive it?

gus_massa 12y ago
The standard answer is that the magnetic field protects us from part of the radiation that comes from the space. I tried to find a good source with more information. I'm still not sure, perhaps it's only a myth. This page says that if there were no magnetic field, the atmosphere would absorb the radiation anyway. (I vote for this, but I'd like to see more info.) http://www.sciencebits.com/NotReallyAProtection http://www.sciencebits.com/NotReallyAProtection These two pages say that the magnetic field provides protection: http://www.windows2universe.org/glossary/plasmaspheric_gain.html http://www.windows2universe.org/glossary/plasmaspheric_gain.... http://www.askamathematician.com/2014/07/q-how-does-earths-magnetic-field-protect-us/ http://www.askamathematician.com/2014/07/q-how-does-earths-m...
- fataliss 12y ago
  But a shift in polarisation wouldn't include the field to disappear at any time, would it?
  - gus_massa 12y ago
    From: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geomagnetic_reversal http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geomagnetic_reversal > During this change the strength of the magnetic field dropped to 5% of its present strength. > The magnetic field will not vanish completely, but many poles might form chaotically in different places during reversal, until it stabilizes again.[
PhantomGremlin 12y ago
Many animals use the earth's magnetic field for navigation.[1] I don't know how well they would fare if the field were changing rapidly. [1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magnetoception http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magnetoception
- wodenokoto 12y ago
  It depends on how often it happens. The stars move too quickly for birds to have star patterns hardcoded by evolution. Instead they look at the sky and learn the star patterns as baby birds and use the observed pattern for navigation.
amaterasu 12y ago
Depending on the rate of change as well, power lines can induce a substantial voltage if the field changes too rapidly as well.
ChuckMcM 12y ago
Hard to say, the Northern lights would move to the other hemisphere, the entire sky might glow if the field were not present (solar ejecta hitting the atmosphere everywhere) It is possible that the Van Allen radiation belts would vanish and reform in a different configuration. That process might damage satellites. A big chunk of ozone would get 'zapped'. The reason there are holes in the ozone layer at the poles (human cfc's not withstanding) is that highly charged particles can break it down[1]. [1] http://www.nature.com/news/2005/050228/full/news050228-12.html http://www.nature.com/news/2005/050228/full/news050228-12.ht...

The standard answer is that the magnetic field protects us from part of the radiation that comes from the space. I tried to find a good source with more information. I'm still not sure, perhaps it's only a myth. This page says that if there were no magnetic field, the atmosphere would absorb the radiation anyway. (I vote for this, but I'd like to see more info.) http://www.sciencebits.com/NotReallyAProtection http://www.sciencebits.com/NotReallyAProtection These two pages say that the magnetic field provides protection: http://www.windows2universe.org/glossary/plasmaspheric_gain.html http://www.windows2universe.org/glossary/plasmaspheric_gain.... http://www.askamathematician.com/2014/07/q-how-does-earths-magnetic-field-protect-us/ http://www.askamathematician.com/2014/07/q-how-does-earths-m...

fataliss 12y ago
But a shift in polarisation wouldn't include the field to disappear at any time, would it?
- gus_massa 12y ago
  From: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geomagnetic_reversal http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geomagnetic_reversal > During this change the strength of the magnetic field dropped to 5% of its present strength. > The magnetic field will not vanish completely, but many poles might form chaotically in different places during reversal, until it stabilizes again.[

PhantomGremlin 12y ago

Many animals use the earth's magnetic field for navigation.[1] I don't know how well they would fare if the field were changing rapidly. [1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magnetoception http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magnetoception

wodenokoto 12y ago
It depends on how often it happens. The stars move too quickly for birds to have star patterns hardcoded by evolution. Instead they look at the sky and learn the star patterns as baby birds and use the observed pattern for navigation.

amaterasu 12y ago

Depending on the rate of change as well, power lines can induce a substantial voltage if the field changes too rapidly as well.

ChuckMcM 12y ago

Hard to say, the Northern lights would move to the other hemisphere, the entire sky might glow if the field were not present (solar ejecta hitting the atmosphere everywhere) It is possible that the Van Allen radiation belts would vanish and reform in a different configuration. That process might damage satellites. A big chunk of ozone would get 'zapped'. The reason there are holes in the ozone layer at the poles (human cfc's not withstanding) is that highly charged particles can break it down[1]. [1] http://www.nature.com/news/2005/050228/full/news050228-12.html http://www.nature.com/news/2005/050228/full/news050228-12.ht...