What currently has geophysicists like us abuzz is the realization that
the strength of Earth’s magnetic field has been decreasing for the last
160 years at an alarming rate. This collapse is centered in a huge
expanse of the Southern Hemisphere, extending from Zimbabwe to Chile,
known as the South Atlantic Anomaly. The magnetic field strength is so
weak there that it’s a hazard for satellites that orbit above the region
– the field no longer protects them from
radiation which interferes with satellite electronics.
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Up until now I believed that the only parts of our magnetic fields that had holes in them were near the poles. This is something new I hadn't heard before of the "South Atlantic Anomaly".
This makes more sense of stories of sheep in the Andes mountains going blind the last 10 to 15 years or so and Sheep herders being forced to wear sunglasses to not have vision loss as well. This type of excess of Cosmic rays could cause blindness and/or genetic mutations of other kinds as well over time.
I find as an intuitive I wear sunglasses more and more of the time in the sun to protect myself. And in the Sun working around my home and yard I wear a broad brimmed hat to protect my face and ears and neck from too much sun as well. Learning how much sun you can handle is important for everyone in order to not get skin cancer eventually.
I have spent most of my life in the sun as a surfer when I was young, then as a mountain climber, jogger until I was in my 40s, skier since I was 15 and snorkeler in the ocean in Southern and Northern California and living in Hawaii on Maui and the Big Island various times. So, I have to now be careful of the sun because I'll be 70 sometime this year. Also, in my 20s and 30s I was building homes a lot and often you are out in the sun doing that too.
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