A new study indicates the Earth's magnetic fields are destabilizing faster, and the North and South Poles will soon reverse their positions.

The Earth's magnetic field -- or the magnetosphere -- is important for humanity's survival on Earth. Chiefly, the field protects the planet from deadly rays emitted by the sun while still allowing for a good amount of energy to reach the planet's surface.

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It's this fine line in the amount of energy the magnetosphere allows in that makes it essential for life. The energy that reaches the surface affects everything from climate, weather, winds and constantly swirling ocean currents.

The field is generated by an interaction between the rotation in the planet's core and electrical currents. The field's north and south poles are used for navigation.

These poles move as much as 16 kilometers. The field isn't fixed though, and every 450,000 years or so, the poles reverse.

A team from the University of California, Santa Cruz, determined the last pole reversal was roughly 786,000 years ago. They posit this took place about 100 years from the time humans appeared.

The European Space Agency's Swarm Constellation uses three satellites to study the Earth's magnetic field. At a recent Swarm science meeting held in Copenhagen, researchers announced the field has been weakening by roughly five percent every five years.

A weakening of the field is a sign a reversal of the poles is about to occur.

While the field normally fluctuates, the current rate it has been changing is larger than normal. Ten times faster than previously predicted, to be exact. This means the change could be coming sooner than later.

The reversing of poles - South going to North and vice versa - won't be a big deal to people's direction and compasses. There is a bigger concern as to what may happen to other animals.

Animals that migrate could be disoriented due to the reversal of the poles. There's also the concern the magnetic field won't be able to shield us from the sun's radiation.

No current evidence indicates a mass extinction correlating to a field reversal or an influx of radiation, but this could be problematic for power grids and satellites.

TagsMagnetosphere, Magnetic Field, Swarm, North and South Poles