The European Research Council (ERC) has awarded €10 million to fund a research project studying the effects of changes in the Earth's magnetic field on the atmosphere and the living environment. The aim is to find out how severe the consequences of magnetic field fluctuations can be.
The magnetic field protects the Earth from harmful space radiation and solar storms. However, it is not stable and its strength varies. Sometimes, the field can even reverse, flipping the north and south magnetic poles. During this process, the field is significantly weakened and the shielding of our habitat almost vanishes. These events are called geomagnetic excursions or reversals and may have played an important role in the conditions for life evolution on Earth .
One of the most recent excursions occurred about 41 000 years ago, when the magnetic field reversed for just 200 years. During the reversal, the magnetic field strength weakened to about 5% of what it is today. After four hundred years, the poles switched back.
The consequences of past and future magnetic field weakenings and reversals for the Earth's atmosphere, environment and biosphere may be dramatic, but they are largely unknown. The consequences can be critical for our modern highly technological society.
"During Earth's magnetic field reversals, the Sun's activity can vary from very quiet periods to extremely active ones. These variations need to be taken into account to reliably estimate the effects of changes in the magnetic field," explains Professor Emilia Kilpua . Kilpua leads a research group modelling the solar atmosphere and heliosphere at the University of Helsinki.
In the fundd research project, a team from the University of Oulu is modelling the unusual states of the Earth's magnetic field and the related radiation environment. The team is led by Professor Ilya Usoskin : " We are investigating the radiation pattern in near-Earth space and how it would affect our technological society. For example, we will answer the question of would be there auroras, and where would they be located during the geomagnetic reversals?"
The project takes a holistic view of the Sun-Earth system, combining different models. This allows the effects of magnetic field reversals to be studied under different climatic conditions and during different solar activity periods. It also uses paleomagnetic recordings of unprecedented accuracy and novel models.
"The results of this project also have implications for other scientific disciplines, such as planetary and exoplanetary research or evolutionary biology. The research will also contribute to our understanding of the conditions under which life has been and will be evolving," concludes Usoskin. The results can support technological developments in space and satellite-based communications and navigation.
The new research project, called GERACLE, will run for six years. In addition to the Universities of Oulu and Helsinki, researchers from the University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences in Vienna will participate, and the project will be led by the GFZ German Research Centre for Geosciences. The project will receive €10 million in funding, of which the Universities of Oulu and Helsinki will each receive €2 million.
Finland has so far been awarded only three other ERC Synergy Grants, and this grant is the first one for the University of Oulu.
