NASA observing ‘dent’ in magnetic field ‘It is splitting’

The magnetic shield which surrounds Earth has weakened by an average of nine percent over the past 200 years, leaving experts baffled. One spot, in particular, has become extremely weak, known as the South Atlantic Anomaly (SAA), which stretches from Chile to Zimbabwe.

The Earth’s magnetic field is created by the liquid iron outer core spinning around the solid inner core.

The dynamic action creates an invisible field which goes through the north and south of the planet and encircling it, which leads to the Earth’s North and South Poles.

Life on Earth relies on the magnetic shield, known as the magnetosphere, as it helps to protect it from deadly radiation from space.

Also, many species of animals, most notably birds, have a sense of the magnetic poles which allow them to successfully navigate the globe during periods of mass-migration.

Due to its importance to Earth, NASA has begun monitoring the SAA over fears it could split the magnetic field in two.

NASA said in a statement: “Currently, the SAA creates no visible impacts on daily life on the surface.

“However, recent observations and forecasts show that the region is expanding westward and continuing to weaken in intensity.

“It is also splitting – recent data shows the anomaly’s valley, or region of minimum field strength, has split into two lobes, creating additional challenges for satellite missions.”

Weijia Kuang, a geophysicist and mathematician in NASA’s Goddard Geodesy and Geophysics Laboratory, said: “The observed SAA can be also interpreted as a consequence of weakening dominance of the dipole field in the region.

“More specifically, a localised field with reversed polarity grows strongly in the SAA region, thus making the field intensity very weak, weaker than that of the surrounding regions.”

NASA also has ulterior motives for monitoring the SAA.

By doing so, they will be able to learn more about Earth’s core, which is still something of a mystery.

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NASA said: “The changing SAA provides researchers new opportunities to understand Earth’s core, and how its dynamics influence other aspects of the Earth system.

“By tracking this slowly evolving ‘dent’ in the magnetic field, researchers can better understand the way our planet is changing and help prepare for a safer future for satellites.”

Some scientists believe the weakening magnetic field could lead to a magnetic pole reversal – a natural phenomenon which had thought to occur every 200,000 to 300,000 years when the north and south poles switch.

The poles attempted to swap 40,000 years ago but the process failed. As a result, the last time the poles switched place was 780,000 years ago, meaning we are long overdue a flip in the magnetic field.

When the switch does happen, it will reduce the magnetic field’s strength by up to 90 percent for several decades.

As humans did not exist during the last switch, it is impossible to accurately predict how it would affect us as a species.

But with a weakened magnetic shield, the Earth would become more vulnerable to solar storms.

Solar storms are sparked by radiation which pummels our planet heats up the outer atmosphere, causing it to expand.

This means satellite signals would struggle to penetrate the atmosphere, leading to a lack of internet service, GPS navigation, satellite TV such as Sky and mobile phone signal.

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