The magnetic North Pole has been moving closer to Russia, with unexpected activity detected in the high Arctic as it heads towards Siberia in a way that has never been seen before. Geologists have noticed that the speed at which the North Magnetic Pole is approaching Russian territory has slowed down. In the early 2000s, the North Magnetic Pole increased its speed to 55 kilometers per year, but over the past five years, it has suddenly slowed from 50 to 40 kilometers per year.
The magnetic North Pole is the direction that a compass needle points, and it is not a fixed location; it changes due to magnetic activity beneath the Earth's crust. The North Magnetic Pole differs from the geographic North Pole, which remains stationary at the intersection of all longitude lines and is the world's northernmost point.
An updated version of the World Magnetic Model is scheduled to be released in December. The movement of the magnetic North Pole is caused by unpredictable fluctuations in the churning of the molten iron that makes up the majority of the Earth's outer core, which also regulates the planet's magnetic field.
According to Dr. William Brown from the British Geological Survey, the magnetic pole has been moving along the northern coast of Canada for centuries, previously at a speed of approximately 10 to 15 kilometers per year from 1600 to 1990. After the 1990s, the North Magnetic Pole accelerated and began moving towards Siberia, reaching speeds of about 55 kilometers per year in the early 2000s. Dr. Brown also stated: "So while we can monitor and see how it's changing, it is quite difficult to predict exactly how it will change."
"In the past 20 years, it accelerated north towards Siberia, increasing speed every year until about five years ago, when it suddenly decelerated from 50 to 40 km per year,” Dr. Ciarán Beggan of the British Geological Survey told the Daily Mail. "In contrast, the south pole is moving very slowly. We don't really know why there are such differences between the two hemispheres/ This is behavior we've not observed ever before. It makes forecasting magnetic field change more difficult."
Scientists are puzzled by the increasing movement of the magnetic North Pole towards Russia, which has been occurring since the early nineteenth century. Predicting the exact movements of the magnetic North Pole is impossible. The ability to track the movement of the magnetic North Pole would help scientists forecast changes.
The Earth's magnetic field and the location of the magnetic North Pole are impacted by variations in the swirling motion of molten iron located around 2,000 miles below ground, which is complicated to track due to its depth. This liquid metal moves as a result of heat escaping from the planet's core, creating the Earth's magnetic field.
The British Geological Survey (BGS) can monitor the Earth's magnetic field. The BGS uses a network of ground stations and satellites to "map" the magnetic field in different locations. The data about the magnetic North Pole comes from the World Magnetic Model. The World Magnetic Model, created by the British Geological Survey in collaboration with the United States National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), predicts the location of the North Magnetic Pole at any given moment and assists in guiding smartphone compass tools.
"The world magnetic model is embedded in pretty much any piece of technology, from smartphones to cars and military jets," Dr. William Brown told The Independent. The World Magnetic Model is utilized by the military to navigate submarines across Arctic waters. It contributes to GPS systems as well.
The shifts in the magnetic field may not seem important to people's day-to-day lives, but they affect everyone in some way, and are fundamentally important for adjusting navigation systems and ensuring the safety of both military and civilian aircraft and ships. Magnetic compasses are pivotal for modern navigation, directing aircraft and submarines, and aiding the compasses on smartphones. Smartphone applications and GPS navigators also need adjustments due to the shift of the Earth's magnetic field. The displacement of the magnetic poles is important for correcting navigation instruments.
Usually, scientists announce changes in the Earth's magnetic field once every five years. However, significant changes in the Arctic forced specialists to report them ahead of schedule. A new announcement about changes in the Earth's magnetic field was supposed to be published at the end of 2019. In February 2019, scientists from the American National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) reported the speed of the northern magnetic pole as 55 kilometers per year and its direction of movement.
On November 7, in the State Duma of Russia, a proposal was made to the Ministry of Emergency Situations (MChS) to send notifications about magnetic storms. The corresponding proposal was directed by Deputy Speaker of the State Duma and member of the "New People" party, Vladislav Davankov, to the head of the Ministry of Emergency Situations, Alexander Kurenkov.
This article was written in collaboration with generative AI company Alchemiq