Earth ’s magnetized field of force is up to something strange once again .
TheEuropean Space Agency(ESA ) has been preserve yellow journalism on Earth ’s magnetic field of force using theirSwarm orbiter , and observed an unusual spot in the magnetic field over the South Atlantic between Africa and South America . In the past 50 years , it come out this patch of reduced magnetic intensity has arise weaker and unaccented – so much so , the monster blob might before long separate into two separate zone of weakness .
The magnetized field helps to shield Earth from harmful cosmic radiation and charge particle from the Sun . It might seem like a " changeless force play of nature , " but it ’s prostrate to some wild undulation and change – as we ’ve recentlyseen in the North Pole – because it ’s guide on by an ocean of superheated liquid branding iron that sloshes deep within the satellite ’s interior .
The Van Allen irradiation beltsare two large belts of radiation that surround Earth where industrious shoot down particle are being held at bay by the major planet ’s magnetised field . In recent decennary , scientist notice a phenomenon they ’ve distinguish the South Atlantic Anomaly , a spot of failing in Earth ’s magnetic theater that causes the Van Allen radiation belt to duck exceedingly close to Earth ’s Earth’s surface at an altitude of just 200 km ( 120 miles ) .
As the late information from ESA show , the South Atlantic Anomaly is getting increasingly weaker , too . Since the 1970s , thearea has drop from around 24,000 nanoteslas to 22,000 nanoteslas ( the social unit of magnetic generalisation adequate to 1 billionth of a Nikola Tesla ) . In the past five year alone , scientists have also seen the blob of magnetic weakness splitting asunder into two freestanding blobs , one on either side of the Atlantic .
“ The new , easterly minimum of the South Atlantic Anomaly has seem over the last decade and in late years is developing vigorously , ” Jürgen Matzka from the German Research Centre for Geosciences say in astatementfrom ESA .
“ The challenge now is to understand the processes in Earth ’s core driving these change . ”
Some meditate that this could be another indication thatEarth is heading for a pole turnaround , a colossal outcome in which the north and south magnetized pole tack spot overa period of hundreds to thousands of years . In the shorter term , changes to the Anomaly are also pitch to cause some technical difficulties for the satellites revolve Earth . But do n’t rankle , the phenomenon should n’t be anything for us Earthlings to lose sleep over and it could render some insight into the secret of our major planet ’s interior and the unknown personnel that skulk beneath our foot .
