Earth's Magnetic Poles Will Switch in 2020?
I have a couple of thought for my Fortean friends, on the Magnetic Pole Swap issue.
__Background__
I had heard dribs and drabs about it, and assumed it was fringe theory at best, then I heard it rationally spoken about on Discovery Channel, which made me think twice about it.
Then I read the current Issue of UFO Magazine, and it's cover story, written by the underpaid, excellent editor Graham Birdsall.
It confirms that there is solid evidence that the magnetic poles swap over every 500,000 years or so, and that evidence that the swap is about to occur is that the field gets considerable weaker.
Apparently, the field strength has dropped by 50% in the last 4,000 years, and 5% in the last 100 years, and that by current calculations, the swap will begin/happen around 2020.
So literally, compasses will point the other way, people will notice, it will be bigger than 9/11 (if you can imagine).
The dreaded effects are massive weather changes, and the smallest organisms being unable to orientate, and so possibly procreate, creating food chain issues.
__My Opinions__
a) If it does occur around 2020.
20 years is very little time to prepare. People will want food and energy stockpiles, as big as possible, and nothing near enough will be done until the 11th hour as usual, as political will requires voters to give something resembling a damn, which they won't, because there may possibly be no warning, so no perceived problem.
The probable effect is that is may get very cold over the period of about 5 to 10 years, and sea levels may rise over the same period.
Because it seems that the weather patterns will migrate to new locations that offer them the path of least resistance once more, but while they migrate, they may not be around for a while. The same may go for the Ice-masses. As they migrate, they will most likely do it in liquid form.
Many questions are unanswered. If geologists have this regular data, then what do they say usually happens?
b) Maybe the date isn't correct
While Mr Birdsall rightly tries to wake a few people up to this concept, and introduces to me the idea that it happens in 2020, what I know of scientists tells me that there is a margin of error of three figures of years.
If I draw a line representing 500,000 years, I can't draw a mark on it representing 20. My pen is too clumsy. It's one two-hundred-and-fiftieth of one percent.
c) My current plans
Keep a close eye on all data on this, and re-assess at the beginning of 2004.
This is something I want to deal with matter-of-factly, like it could really happen.
It's yet ANOTHER damn coincedence with our little planet though, isn't it?
The moon's a perfect distance/diameter for total eclipse, and now this happens at this time.
I questioned myself when I first thought that, and asked why this time is so special. We all know it is.
I defined it as "2020 is about the time there will be universal education to some degree".
It feels like someone's playing games with me.
Graham sticks his neck out at the end of the article and looks at the worst-case scenario, and an impossible requirement to populate a different planet.
I'm not religious. I never have been. I've tried going to church a few times, just to see what it was like, but it didn't really work out. Maybe I'll try again some day, who knows.
But when one looks at the "Ark" story, it's right there in black and white, isn't it? Transporting a cohesive interdependant genome structure to pastures new.
The Hardcastle column in the Mail often says "ain't life grand". I think it applies.
There wasn't a topic header clearly like "Earth's Magnetic Poles Will Switch in 2020?" in the first four pages, so I think this deserves a new thread!
I'd be surprised if this wasn't top of New Science for a small while!