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The earth’s magnetic field shields us from many things, including space rocks and charged atoms of solar winds. So, without the magnetic field we could be susceptible to the sun’s emissions and other cosmic events. Some scientists believe that the solar winds could rip holes into the ozone layer, increasing the risk of cosmic radiation on Earth. And this could be quite dangerous for living beings on our planet. In addition, a vanishing atmosphere could cause life-threatening climate changes and weather events. Nonetheless, let’s take a look at what will be happen if Earth loses its magnetic field:
- Compasses may act weird- Compasses are tiny magnets, and like all magnets, they align themselves with nearby magnetic fields. Thankfully Earth’s magnetic field is strong enough to force compasses to align north to south. But with our planet’s magnetic field gone, compasses would point to any nearby source of magnetism.
- Birds wouldn’t be able to navigate – Many birds, turtles, honeybees, fishes, and even fruit flies have biological compasses known as ‘magnetoreceptors’ built into their bodies. Birds use this capability to fly to warmer places during winter months, while turtles navigate the open ocean to lay their eggs on the beaches. If the Earth’s magnetic field disappeared, many animals that depend on compass navigation could be in serious trouble.
- Solar Wind could harm us – Solar winds are harmful to life on Earth, and without the protection of our magnetosphere, our planet would be regularly blasted by a stream of deadly atoms. If Earth’s magnetic field disappeared, the entire life on our planet would be in trouble. And these cosmic rays can have quite a horrifying effect on our body as it can damage DNA and increase risk of cancer and other illnesses.
- Power outages & broken satellites – Without Earth’s magnetic field, satellites can suffer severe damage from solar winds, and even electronic devices could be exposed to deadly atoms. In fact, in the year 1989, a huge solar flare had slammed into Earth’s magnetosphere and threw away electricity out of gear in Quebec, Canada.
- Atmosphere will be gone– The sun’s natural wind is so powerful that it can easily absorb all the gases out of a planet’s atmosphere. This is exactly what happened to Mars which was somewhat like Earth with water and atmosphere. But like Earth, its magnetic field disappeared billions of years ago. Its atmosphere was left completely exposed causing it to be torn away into space. So, there is no doubt that without our magnetic field, our atmosphere, our oceans, and life on Earth, could face the same terrible fate.
–Noel Fernandis
ScienceNow
