The Earth's Electromagnetic Field Losing

[1234]

I know that the Earth is losing it's electromagnetic field. Does anyone in this message board know how long it will take before the electromagnetic feild of the Earth completely dissapears? Birds and fish's navigation would be messed up and our ecosystems would also be messed up. How could we prevent the Earth from losing it's electromagnetic field and is it possible to create an artificial electromagnetic field to replace the one that's there now?

[geni]

to answer your questions
1)unknow we don't know that it will dissapear
2)we can't and nature appears to have survived it dissapearing in the past
3)No.

[MRC_Hans]

Previous pole shifts have been very swift ... on the geological time-scale that is, which means a century or two. And nature seems to have coped quite well. No animals navigate entirely on the magnetic field, coz you cannot.

Hans

[emperorchaos]

Is it really being lost now? I mean, I know it has happened in the past, but it is right now as well? We haven't really known about it long enough to gather enough data to be sure have we?

I remember when I first heard about polar shifts, I thought that the Earth flipped completely around, and that everyone would fly off. Then I realized that they happened before, and the person who was telling me this was just some idiot that stumbled upon a website proclaiming that the Mayans determined when the shift was to occur and how it would kill us all!

[kmortis]

I don't think it's fair to say that the Earth is "losing" it's EM field. That would be like saying that the 60 Hz power "looses" its field during the downward side of it's cycle. The field strenght is lessening, from what I've heard, but it's part of the natural flux.

IIRC, Hans is correct. Geolocially speaking, the pole shift will be swift. Our magnetic navigation systems will have to be recalibrated, but the newer aircraft don't use magnetics as a primary navigation system (the US Navy does require all craft, air and water, to have a magnetic terciary systems installed in case the GPS and stellar navigations crap out tho), so that won't be a big factor.

[Mojo]

I don't think it's fair to say that the Earth is "losing" it's EM field. That would be like saying that the 60 Hz power "looses" its field during the downward side of it's cycle. The field strenght is lessening, from what I've heard, but it's part of the natural flux.Not that these inconvenient facts prevent YECs using the Earth's "fading magnetic field" as an argument for a young Earth...

[kmortis]

Not that these inconvenient facts prevent YECs using the Earth's "fading magnetic field" as an argument for a young Earth...

Or the Newage wackos using the pole shift as a harbinger of the Change of the Ages, or some such crap.

[MRC_Hans]

There is a dude over at sciforums, Dwayne D. Rabbon, or something, who has been babbling incoherently for about two years about all the fantastic disasters that this will wreak upon us. Compared with him, Iaccus is a pillar of logic and serenety.

Hans

[thrombus29]

I thought that S.O.P. when the Earth's electromagnetic field gets wacky is to burrow to the center of the earth and set off some Nukes?

I seem to remember a documentary on that.

[Bronze Dog]

I thought that S.O.P. when the Earth's electromagnetic field gets wacky is to burrow to the center of the earth and set off some Nukes?

I seem to remember a documentary on that.
Documentary documented here. (http://www.badastronomy.com/bad/movies/thecore_review.html)

[ceptimus]

As well as being an aid to navigation, the magnetic field diverts the charged particles in the solar wind. When it collapses to zero (we don't know whether that will last for weeks, months, years or decades) there will be an increase in radiation at the earth's surface. This is expected to cause cancers and mutations. Magnetic field reversals in the past also resulted in increased mutation rates and this may have given rise to some new species.

[Bronze Dog]

When it collapses to zero (we don't know whether that will last for weeks, months, years or decades) there will be an increase in radiation at the earth's surface. This is expected to cause cancers and mutations.
I'll be sure to wear extra sunscreen if I decide to explore this "outdoors" everyone talks about.

[Beausoleil]

As well as being an aid to navigation, the magnetic field diverts the charged particles in the solar wind. When it collapses to zero (we don't know whether that will last for weeks, months, years or decades) there will be an increase in radiation at the earth's surface. This is expected to cause cancers and mutations. Magnetic field reversals in the past also resulted in increased mutation rates and this may have given rise to some new species.


http://image.gsfc.nasa.gov/poetry/ask/a10851.html

[Taffer]

As well as being an aid to navigation, the magnetic field diverts the charged particles in the solar wind. When it collapses to zero (we don't know whether that will last for weeks, months, years or decades) there will be an increase in radiation at the earth's surface. This is expected to cause cancers and mutations. Magnetic field reversals in the past also resulted in increased mutation rates and this may have given rise to some new species.

Er, IIRC, most of the charged particles would still be blocked by the atmosphere.