Summary
Jean-Pierre Valet, a paleomagnetician at the Institut de Physique du Globe de Paris (Paris geophysical institute - IPGP), explains how pole inversion works.
In the past, the Earth's magnetic field has reversed many times and, one day or another, the North Magnetic Pole will return to the geographic South Pole. During these transition phases, would there be cause for concern about the weakening of the magnetic shield that protects the planet from cosmic radiation? Should we also be concerned about migratory birds that use the magnetic field to locate themselves?
In the past, the Earth's magnetic field has reversed many times and, one day or another, the North Magnetic Pole will return to the geographic South Pole. During these transition phases, would there be cause for concern about the weakening of the magnetic shield that protects the planet from cosmic radiation? Should we also be concerned about migratory birds that use the magnetic field to locate themselves?
