Earth’s magnetic field turns weak

London: The Earth’s magnetic field appears to be getting weaker, according to data presented in Denmark on Monday. The data has been taken by the European Space Agency’s Swarm satellite constellation.

A report in the Daily Mail said that dramatic dips in the magnetic field had been spotted across the Western Hemisphere which could damage satellites. Other places, including the east coast of Africa, are becoming stronger, the report said. This is seen by some as a sign the magnetic field will soon reverse.

The Earth’s magnetic field is a protective shield from cosmic radiation, but it’s also somewhat of a mystery scientists aren’t sure why it moves and changes in intensity.

Measurements were made over the past six months, In some areas, such as the southern Indian Ocean, the magnetic field has strengthened since January, although the overall trend is a weakening.

The latest measurements also confirm the movement of magnetic North towards Siberia.

The scientists will next analyse the data to unravel the magnetic contributions from other sources, namely the mantle, crust, oceans, ionosphere and magnetosphere.