New Delhi: Researchers discovered Earth’s polarity flip in terms of sound with the help of art and science. This was done by combining data from the Laschamp event when for thousand of years Earth’s magnetic field flipped in the wrong way around 41 000 years ago. During the event the magnetic field of the whole earth decreased to only 5% of the present value and cosmic radiation entered the atmosphere freely. This weakened magnetic shield affected Earth’s environment HRESULT, and scientists are now able to listen it.
The primary manifestation of geomagnetic reversal currently detailed in the Laschamp event is a brief flip of the planet’s magnetic poles. Although this change only occurred relatively recently in geological terms – in a ‘geological blink of an eye,’ in fact – it led to the drastic tearing away of the so-called ‘protective’ magnetic field. Cosmic rays and the sun added up exposure on the planet, which may have had an impact on the life on the Earth. Scientists collaborating at the Technical University of Denmark, and the German Research Centre for Geosciences have recently translated this event into a new form, namely sound Using data from ESA’s Swarm satellite mission.
Creating the Tone of Earth’s Magnetic Reversal
Researchers translated the motion of the magnetic field lines of the Earth during the Laschamp event into sound for the soundscape. The integration of natural materials are sound – creaking woods, falling rocks – with processed sounds that are simultaneously recognisable and definable.
It shows how sound can be used to create a whole new layer of meaning while at the same time contributing to the work’s credibility. The end result is an experience that is hauntingly room-like and would have produced the acoustics of the Earth’s magnetic field during this process. An earlier version of the soundscape relocating Swarm satellite data was implemented using 32 speakers to signify the change of magnetic field on Earth at various sites over the past 100000 years in a public square in Copenhagen.
The Journey of Learning about Earth’s Magnetic Field through Liberate Sound
The Swarm constellation of satellites developed by ESA remains an invaluable source of information for defining the Earth’s magnetic field. The Swarm mission records the strength and direction of the magnetic fields from the core, mantle, crust, oceans, ionosphere and magnetosphere of the planet. Such data are crucial for the understanding of events such as geomagnetic reversals, such as the Laschamp event and other phenomena within the Earth’s core.
Hence this creative auditory perspective presents an effective approach of enlightening the public concerning the challenging magnetic history of our planet.
