Could Earth’s magnetic poles be about to f lip?

SCIENTISTS have warned of signs that suggest the Earth’s magnetic poles could be about to flip.

They say such an event would have devastating and deadly consequences, including increased rates of cancer, electricity grid blowouts and exposure to deadly solar radiation.

The Earth has a fierce molten core that generates a magnetic field capable of defending the planet against devastating solar winds.

The protective field extends thousands of miles into space and its magnetism affects everything from global communication to power grids.

But this magnetic field, so important to life on Earth, has weakened by 15 per cent over the past 200 years.

And this, scientists claim, could be a sign that the Earth’s poles are about to flip.

Daniel Baker, director of the Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics at the University of Colorado, Boulder, claims there are signs of a reversal. He says if this happens, it is likely to render some areas of the planet ‘uninhabitable’ by knocking out power grids.

His comments appeared in a report by journalist Alanna Mitchell, who has written a book titled The Spinning Magnet: The Electromagnetic Force That Created The Modern World And Could Destroy It.

She writes: ‘The dangers: devastating streams of particles from the sun, galactic cosmic rays, and enhanced ultraviolet B rays from a radiation-damaged ozone layer, to name just a few of the invisible forces that could harm or kill living creatures.’

Historically, Earth’s North and South magnetic poles have flipped every 200,000 or 300,000 years. A flip is overdue as the last one was about 780,000 years ago. The latest satellite data, from the European Space Agency’s Swarm trio, which monitors the Earth’s magnetic field, suggests a flip may be imminent.

The data has shown ‘restless activity’ of molten iron and nickel at the Earth’s core, where the magnetic field is generated. This suggests the field is preparing to flip.

If a switch happens, we would be exposed to solar winds capable of punching holes into the ozone layer.

‘This is serious business,’ said Richard Holme, professor of earth, ocean and ecological sciences at Liverpool University.

‘Imagine for a moment your electrical power supply was knocked out for a few months – very little works without electricity these days.’

Radiation at ground level would also increase, with some estimates suggesting overall exposure to cosmic radiation would double, causing more deaths from cancer.

Researchers predict 100,000 people would die every year from increased levels of space radiation if the poles switch. But Dr Colin Forsyth of University College London noted: ‘At the moment, we cannot accurately determine whether or not the Earth’s field is about to flip.’