Earth’s Magnetic North Pole Shifting Toward Siberia, Says Updated World Magnetic Model

Earth’s Magnetic North Pole Shifting Toward Siberia, Says Updated World Magnetic Model

The World Magnetic Model (WMM), which serves as the standard model for navigation, attitude, and heading reference systems that rely on Earth’s geomagnetic field, has been updated. This model is revised every five years to reflect changes in the Earth's magnetic field. It is developed jointly by the United States’ National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA) and the United Kingdom’s Defence Geographic Centre (DGC).

Shift in Earth’s Magnetic North Pole:

Magnetic North refers to the point where Earth’s magnetic field lines enter the planet in the North, while Geographic North is where lines of longitude (meridians) converge in the northern hemisphere. Earth’s rotation is aligned with the geographic North and South Poles.

Since the discovery of Earth’s Magnetic North Pole by explorer James Clark Ross in 1831, it has been gradually shifting. Over the past century, the pole’s movement from Canada toward Siberia (Russia) has accelerated, reaching a peak of 31 miles annually in the early 2000s. However, this movement has slowed in the past five years.

The positions of both the Magnetic North and South Poles change over time due to fluctuations in Earth’s magnetic field. Magnetic declination, the angle between Magnetic North and Geographic North, also varies over time.

On occasion, the magnetic poles undergo a reversal, meaning the magnetic North and South poles swap places. According to paleomagnetic records, such reversals have occurred 183 times over the past 83 million years.

Potential Implications:

• Navigation Errors: Changes in the magnetic field can lead to inaccuracies in navigation systems.
• Impact on Migratory Species: Shifts in the magnetic poles could affect the navigation of migratory species that rely on Earth's magnetic field.
• Risks to Satellites and Power Grids: Solar storms could pose a greater risk to satellites and power grids due to changes in the magnetic field.

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