switching poles

[jakesi]

On the 15th feb 2001 the suns poles switched. What would happen if the north and south poles switched on earth?

[comeleon]

The science of the effect of the Earth's magnetic field is called Paleomagnetism. I think that the effects of a switch are minimal. Perhaps migratory birds would be disorientated. Nowadays we use electronic, satellite-based Global Positioning Systems for navigation. These are unaffected. There have been numerous reversals of the poles in the past. The last one was about 800,000 years ago. I have never read of any affects on biological systems. More solar particles would reach the top of the atmosphere but not the ground.