Also: north magnetic pole, South Atlantic Anomaly, Laschamp excursion, geomagnetic reversal, geomagnetic storm, Carrington event, Quebec blackout, Schumann resonance, solar storms
Earth's magnetic field moves, weakens and occasionally flips, and storms from the Sun can disturb it, affecting power grids and possibly animal navigation.
Values as stated in the cited paper's abstract.
| Property | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| North magnetic pole drift speed (recent) | 50–60 km per year | Livermore 2020 |
Search Google Patents for this topic: all patents · recent applications (2022+)
Patent searches are generated from the topic's key terms; a patent is a legal claim, not proof that something works. See the Patents page.
Readiness: lab lab studies · prototype demonstrated objects · commercial products or buildings in real use · review summaries of other studies.
Export this topic's references: BibTeX · RIS (Zotero, EndNote, Mendeley)
Boteler re-examined the March 1989 magnetic storm, the largest of the 20th century, which blacked out the Hydro-Québec power system and was caused by two coronal mass ejections.
As reported in: Boteler (2019). A 21st Century View of the March 1989 Magnetic Storm. Space Weather. doi:10.1029/2019SW002278
Abstract only
Vanselow and colleagues proposed that geomagnetic storms may have disoriented 29 young male sperm whales that stranded in the North Sea in 2016, since storm disruptions can shift apparent magnetic latitude by up to 460 km.
As reported in: Vanselow, Jacobsen, Hall et al. (2017). Solar storms may trigger sperm whale strandings: explanation approaches for multiple strandings in the North Sea in 2016. International Journal of Astrobiology. doi:10.1017/s147355041700026x
Granger and colleagues found live gray whale strandings were more frequent on days with more solar-storm radio-frequency noise, suggesting their navigation may be disrupted and that they may sense magnetic fields.
As reported in: Granger, Walkowicz, Fitak et al. (2020). Gray whales strand more often on days with increased levels of atmospheric radio-frequency noise. Current Biology. doi:10.1016/j.cub.2020.01.028
Schreiber and Rossi found pigeon race homing efficiency fell as sunspot numbers rose, measured by arrivals before nightfall and the speed of the first arrival.
As reported in: Schreiber, Rossi (1978). Correlation between magnetic storms due to solar spots and pigeon homing performances. IEEE Transactions on Magnetics. doi:10.1109/tmag.1978.1059801
Abstract only
Livermore and colleagues report the north magnetic pole sped up between 1990 and 2005 from 0–15 km to 50–60 km per year, crossed the date line in 2017, and is being pulled by two lobes of magnetic flux at the core–mantle boundary under Canada and Siberia.
As reported in: Livermore, Finlay, Bayliff (2020). Recent north magnetic pole acceleration towards Siberia caused by flux lobe elongation. Nature Geoscience. doi:10.1038/s41561-020-0570-9
Finlay and colleagues used satellite data to show the South Atlantic weak-field anomaly continues to grow and weaken, and a secondary minimum has appeared south-west of Africa.
As reported in: Finlay, Kloss, Olsen et al. (2020). The CHAOS-7 geomagnetic field model and observed changes in the South Atlantic Anomaly. Earth, Planets and Space. doi:10.1186/s40623-020-01252-9
Cooper and colleagues built a radiocarbon record from New Zealand kauri trees around the Laschamps geomagnetic reversal (about 41,000 years ago) and concluded from modelling that the weak field changed atmospheric ozone and drove global climate and environmental shifts.
As reported in: Cooper, Turney, Palmer et al. (2021). A global environmental crisis 42,000 years ago. Science. doi:10.1126/science.abb8677
Richard Carrington described a "singular appearance" he saw on the Sun on 1 September 1859, an observation now regarded as the first recorded solar flare.
As reported in: Carrington (1859). Description of a Singular Appearance seen in the Sun on September 1, 1859. Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society. doi:10.1093/mnras/20.1.13
Williams showed the Schumann resonance, a global electromagnetic resonance driven by lightning, is a sensitive measure of tropical temperature because lightning rates rise with temperature.
As reported in: Williams (1992). The Schumann Resonance: A Global Tropical Thermometer. Science. doi:10.1126/science.256.5060.1184
Abstract only