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Politics : The Environmentalist Thread -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Maurice Winn who wrote (22157)	7/12/2008 7:06:34 AM
From: Tom Clarke	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 36917

Stop inter-global magnetic field change! Earth's Core, Magnetic Field Changing Fast, Study Says Kimberly Johnson for National Geographic News June 30, 2008 Rapid changes in the churning movement of Earth's liquid outer core are weakening the magnetic field in some regions of the planet's surface, a new study says. "What is so surprising is that rapid, almost sudden, changes take place in the Earth's magnetic field," said study co-author Nils Olsen, a geophysicist at the Danish National Space Center in Copenhagen. The findings suggest similarly quick changes are simultaneously occurring in the liquid metal, 1,900 miles (3,000 kilometers) below the surface, he said. The swirling flow of molten iron and nickel around Earth's solid center triggers an electrical current, which generates the planet's magnetic field. The study, published recently in Nature Geoscience, modeled Earth's magnetic field using nine years of highly accurate satellite data. Flip-Flop Fluctuations in the magnetic field have occurred in several far-flung regions of Earth, the researchers found. In 2003 scientists found pronounced changes in the magnetic field in the Australasian region. In 2004, however, the changes were focused on Southern Africa. The changes "may suggest the possibility of an upcoming reversal of the geomagnetic field," said study co-author Mioara Mandea, a scientist at the German Research Centre for Geosciences in Potsdam. Earth's magnetic field has reversed hundreds of times over the past billion years, and the process could take thousands of years to complete. Upper Atmosphere Radiation The decline in the magnetic field also is opening Earth's upper atmosphere to intense charged particle radiation, scientists say. Satellite data show the geomagnetic field decreasing in the South Atlantic region, Mandea said, adding that an oval-shaped area east of Brazil is significantly weaker than similar latitudes in other parts of the world. "It is in this region that the shielding effect of the magnetic field is severely reduced, thus allowing high energy particles of the hard radiation belt to penetrate deep into the upper atmosphere to altitudes below a hundred kilometers (62 miles)," Mandea said. This radiation does not influence temperatures on Earth. The particles, however, do affect technical and radio equipment and can damage electronic equipment on satellites and airplanes, Olsen of the Danish space center said. Keep Watching The study documents just how rapidly the flow in Earth's core is changing, said Peter Olson, a geophysics professor at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland, who was not involved with the research. By using satellite imagery, researchers have a nearly continuous measurement of changes, he said. "They provide a good rationale to continue this monitoring longer," Olson said. news.nationalgeographic.com

To: Maurice Winn who wrote (22157)	7/12/2008 8:13:01 AM
From: maceng2	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 36917

Well, if you are going to count the atoms and molecules, I can see I am going to have an argument on my hands. In terms of moles of material, yes solids make up a significant amount of material that effects our weather systems. In terms of volume though, I would say the volumes taken up by all the air and water is far more significant. The weather is, after all, all about the air and water in our atmosphere. Where the weather is, so goes the climate. The sea can give you sunburn from reflections just like snow and ice can. Anyone who has sailed a bit will attest to that. But, if Watson is to believed, we don't know anything enough about liquid stuff like sea water. He has checked his thick dusty Anno Domini 1963 version of the physical constants, and well... liquids aren't in there -g- There are rumors that a significant portion of the planet Earth is in liquid form, volcanoes do suggest that may be the case, but unless we actually tunnel down one, to the centre of the Earth, the skeptics just will not believe a tall story like the Earth having a significant liquid component. pubs.usgs.gov The greenhouse effect. Arrhenius argued that variations in trace constituents—namely carbon dioxide—of the atmosphere could greatly influence the heat budget of the Earth. Using the best data available to him (and making many assumptions and estimates that were necessary), he performed a series of calculations on the temperature effects of increasing and decreasing amounts of carbon dioxide in the Earth's atmosphere. earthobservatory.nasa.gov earthobservatory.nasa.gov