And now we dip, dip, dipole

It’s lovely to do some light reading on the state of the Earth’s magnetic dipoles at 5:45 a.m. I truly believe that ingesting these interesting scientific facts while cozying up on the couch with a hot coffee is a great way to start the day. Off on a good foot with some knowledge to lead you into the day.

Last week, I spoke of Earth’s magnetosphere and how the dipoles of Earth are shifting and have been for all it’s existence. Currently it is closer to Siberia then North America and has been gradually shifting that way since the early 1830’s (that is when Earth’s magnetic north pole was first precisely located). In the last 20 years, however, it has been taking some major jumps from year to year, shifting massively. While reading science. nasa.gov on the “Flip Flop: Why Variations in Earth’s Magnetic Field Aren’t Causing Today’s Climate Change,” written in August of 2023 by Alan Buis from NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, he speaks of the significant drift of the north dipole to over 600 miles north-northwest and with the speed increase of about 10 miles per year to 34 miles per year. This change in the speed and location affects navigation; and not just for us humans, but for the wildlife as well.

Is the shift in the magnetic north dipole indicate of a potential pole reversal? That is a good question and one that many scientists ponder from time to time, but don’t put too much thought into it. With the Earth’s magnetic field weakening over the past 200 years about nine percent (in 2023) on a global average, scientists cannot predict when the next pole reversal will take place. In recordings, the last pole reversal for Earth has been about 780,000 years ago. The average is about 300,000 years but fluctuates widely. The magnetosphere joins with the Earth’s atmosphere and continues to protect Earth from cosmic rays and charged solar particles. However, with the flip brings concerns of the magnetic field becoming jumbled and in result brings multiple magnetic poles emerging in unexpected places. Magnetic pole reversals do not happen instantly, but take over hundreds of years to thousands.

According to Buis, the “paleomagnetic studies show the field is about as strong as it’s been in the past 100,000 years, and is twice as intense as its million-year average.” So with that being said, it stands to reason that it shouldn’t happen soon. I will keep the hope that the magnetic (di)pole reversal does not happen for another 100 or so years, then we wouldn’t have to worry about the jumbled and chaotic mess of the magnetic field.

SEEKING

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ONDER

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SAMANTHA Y OCIUS CREATIVE MEDIA