What do you think? Could this be a contributing cause for global warming?

Question

This question is way outside my usual question and answers here, but I came across this article and it got me wondering.... Given the symptoms we have heard complained about by "experts" on global warming, could this new finding be a contributing cause on what we know as global warming? Your thoughts?

Link to article:

http://news.yahoo.com/s/space/20080818/sc_space/sloshinginsideearthchangesprotectivemagneticfield

Answer 1

Magnetic weakening is only responsible for GW if the guilt-ridden lefties can find a way to blame mankind (and America, specifically) for the problem.

There's bonus points involved if the fear-mongers can find a way to blame the magnetic weakening on man-made global warming, thereby being able to blame man for further contributing to his own demise!!

Answer 2

Yes.  This sounds like it ties into the "Svensmark Effect" that links solar activity, cosmic rays, and cloud formation.

Lessening of the magnetic field could increase solar wind radiation reaching earth, affecting clouds, climate, etc.

Then again, a gamma ray burst from a nearby star collapsing into a black hole could end all this debate in a few milliseconds.

Answer 3

no no no Global warming is caused by man and only man and specifically greed head Republican voting Americans ...any example of scientific evidence or even common sense against shows you are a planet raper and need to be sent off to Green Re-Education Camps  

Answer 4

Weakening and magnetic reversal, which happens rarely but does happen, is a natural phenomena. It may or may not contribute to global warming (not enough data) but,if it happens, will wipe out all electronics in the world, including YOUR computer.

Flashlights possibly will still work.

Answer 5

Nope.

There's no mechanism that would make small changes in the magnetic field make large changes in temperature.  Svensmark's theories have been refuted by several scientists.

The basic of physics of CO2 say it MUST cause warming.  Calculations by scientists show it's mostly responsible.  There's no need to invent weird reasons, when no one can show they actually affect temperature, like CO2 must.

Answer 6

Actually i do not think that the earth's magnetic field has much if any influence on climate.

As the article states this has happened in the past, and when it does occur, it normally happens rather rapidly in geologic times, this could be thousands of years however.

If you think about it from a scientific point of view, as the magnetic field changes, it would only change the latitudes where the auroras are able to be viewed, and the seasons when they would be visible.

Since magnetism does not have any influence on photons it would have no effect whatsoever.

It will s***w all of the magnetic compasses up as the change happens however.

Answer 7

Probably not but it's a good question - we should always be open to new ideas.

I say probably not because the global warming we are talking about is the recent, rapid rise in global temperatures suggesting that some new variable has entered into the climate equilibrium equation. There is nothing in this article to suggest that the phenomenon is new, just that we haven't been able to observe it before.

There is also no model or hypothesis to link rapid, micro-fluctuations in the earth's magnetic field to global warming but who knows... maybe with more research? (Which is why I added 'probably' to my 'not'!)

Answer 8

The Earths magnetic field is not and has never been fixed, it moves around from year to year this can be seen on any map that shows magnetic variation, anyone who uses navigation or does orienteering knows this. The Earths field will at some point flip again as it has done many times in the past, the noticeable effects would be things like CRT monitors needing adjustment and animals that use magnetic field navigation like pigeons, most ships and aircraft use GPS these days and this doesn't rely on the magnet field position.

And the "Svensmark Effect" popped up as a theory several years ago

http://physicsworld.com/cws/article/prin...

This theory was given some time a couple of years ago but came to nothing, this review from Physics world is harsh and the theory has since slipped out of favor in science circles with it only being pushed on denier sites like "john-daly".

p.s The magnetic field flipping will not wipe out the world electronics, electronics things like CRT's (as I said above) are adjusted for north or south hemisphere but can be altered for either and the effect is slight warping of the image until it is adjusted.