Ship Logs Suggest Upcoming Polar Reversal

Nyerp writes "Researchers are using naval logs dating back as far as 1590 to arrive at better estimates of the decline of Earth's magnetic field. The results suggest that there may be a reversal of earth's magnetic field in about 2000 years." Also worth noting, our ancestors have lived through a number of polar reversals, and we're still here, so no need to fret!

electronic dependence

[pilybaby]

Our ancestors may have lived through this several times before but wont it affect us more as we are highly dependent on electricity and satalites etc?

long term effects

[adolfojp]

If this slow reversal is happening as we speak; what effect could it have on bird migration and magnetotactic bacteria?

north = ?

[novastar123]

Does this mean that for a while, depending on how long it takes for the field to reverse that there will be no north or south magnetic pole?

Earths shielding?

[jupiter909]

How does all this relate to the Earths field saving us from being turned into toast from the Sun's and other harmful effects. Do we go into a stage of danger and then end up being safe again once the field is reversed? They do not make mention of this. I know that a few solar flares and computers and power grids can go down when Earth can't deflect it. With it growing weaker are we now at great risk?

Lots of questions, I need answers.

Re:Slightly off...

[MadTinfoilHatter]

That's a good point. Geomagnetic reversal is actually a relatively poorly understood phenomenon http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geomagnetic_reversal [wikipedia.org] and it's hard to predict exactly what would happen.

I suppose there are a lot of scientists who'd be delighted to see one take place - it'd be the first chance to study the phenomenon up close.

Re:Duh.

[nsayer]

Yes, except that's what you tell your descendents, a few generations after the compass becomes useless.

While the flips may occur quickly on a geological timeframe, they take much longer than a human lifetime to occur and stabilize.

A compass is a handy thing to have at sea, since without landmarks its the easiest way to keep pointing in the same direction. But there are other ways to navigate - with and without technology. We (or rather, "they," since we'll long be dust) will just have to make do with them.

Commercials

[ericartman]

How long till the first infomercial offering "Kits" to protect us from the upcoming polar reversal?

Affect US?

[skayell]

I do not think it's going to affect me personally at all? Why are you worried?

Re:Sombody think of the birds!

[834r9394557r011]

perhaps they use the line of the magnetic field, the north -south/south-north direction as apposed to an east-wes/west-east direction , to avoid flying 400 miles to the east and dying in the ocean. it may not have anyhting to do necessarily with the polarity.

Re:Duh.

[TubeSteak]

A compass is a handy thing to have at sea, since without landmarks its the easiest way to keep pointing in the same direction. But there are other ways to navigate - with and without technology.

Like GPS (or the Euro version Galileo) and stars?

While I doubt mariners will ever stop being taught compass and celestial navigation (tradition is important), I can't imagine either will be needed 100 years from now, much less a thousand.

Unless those statellites fall out of the sky, GPS is here to stay.

Read the article, please...

[Anonymous Coward]

The article suggests, rather strongly, that most of what we're seeing in the change of the earth's magnetic field is due to something called the "South American Anomaly", and has nothing to do with a possible polar reversal.

What's causing the anomaly?

It's the llama's secret weapon!

X.

Re:Duh.

[nsayer]

Like GPS (or the Euro version Galileo) and stars?

No. Neither of those will tell you which way you're pointing. Both of those tell you where you are (actually, the cellestial version will only tell you where you are with the aid of an accurate clock).

Not quite the same thing.

On land, it's easy to walk in a straight line. You pick a tree or a rock or a mountain, walk towards it, then check your GPS gizmo and it will tell you which direction you walked. But while you're walking, you simply walk in the direction of the landmark you've chosen.

At sea, this is impossible. You can't just steer towards a landmark, because there are none. The best you can do is steer towards a particular star (the sun counts), but you'll probably have to make corrections for its motion. A compass serves the same purpose as a distant tree or mountain on land -- keeps you pointing in the same direction over the course of the present to near future. You need to be able to do that reliably before position fixes can help get you where you want to be.

Position references can be finessed into giving you a bearing track, but that's like telling a day trader that because the stock went up yesterday it's going to go up again tomorrow - maybe, but maybe not. You need more data to be sure.

Re:North will stay the same...

[john83]

Isn't that famously a myth?

Navigation Concerns Overplayed

[Stormy Dragon]

We're already seeing a rapid shift from geomagnetic references to inertial and satellite references in navigation. 2,000 years from now, it's unlikely magnetic compasses will be anything but a novelty.