Something odd is happening to the Earth’s magnetic field. The magnetic North and South Poles flip roughly once every 250,000 years and the last time the Earth’s magnetic field reversed was approximately 780,000 years ago. Though such an event is long overdue, over the past 200 years the magnetic field has on average lost about 9% of its strength. And a large region of much weaker magnetic field strength was found between Africa and South America, known as the South Atlantic Anomaly. There’s been some discussion about whether recent changes in the magnetic field could be related to an upcoming pole reversal, but that has also not been determined.
The area of the anomaly has grown and shifted westwards at about 20km each year, and in the past five years, another area of unusually low magnetic strength emerging southwest of Africa has also been detected that is developing vigorously and maybe a sign that the anomaly is splitting into two.
This presents problems for low-Earth orbit satellites and other spacecraft flying through the area. Our magnetic field is an essential factor supporting life here by protecting much of the planet from charged particles, solar winds, and cosmic rays that could otherwise harm living cells. Because the magnetic field is weaker in that area, it can cause devices to malfunction due to the increased amount of radiation in the form of charged particles hitting anything within 1,200 miles of the Earth’s surface. Such radiation can damage sensitive electronic components.
It is to be thought that once upon a time, Mars fostered a habitable environment that was destroyed due to the planet’s disappearing magnetic field, which made Mars prone to solar winds and radiation that demolished its environment and made it the red planet that we know today.
Writer: Ariya Gupta
3/07/2020
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