Magnetic North accelerates it move towards Russia

[bassrique]

It's old news that magnetic North is not static, but it is moving faster. I was even reading a few weeks ago that there are some screwy things goin on in the eath's magnetic field that leads some experts to think a "pole reversal" [layman's term] is in the works.

Pilots, boaters adjust to shift in magnetic north

February 20, 2011|By Ken Kaye, Sun Sentinel

Magnetic north, the point at the top of the Earth that determines compass headings, is shifting its position at a rate of about 40 miles per year. In geologic terms, it's racing from the Arctic Ocean near Canada toward Russia.

As a result, everyone who uses a compass, even as a backup to modern GPS navigation systems, needs to be aware of the shift, make adjustments or obtain updated charts to ensure they get where they intend to go, authorities say. That includes pilots, boaters and even hikers.

"You could end up a few miles off or a couple hundred miles off, depending how far you're going," said Matthew Brock, a technician with Lauderdale Speedometer and Compass, a Fort Lauderdale company that repairs compasses.

Although the magnetic shift has little impact on the average person and presents no danger to the Earth overall, it is costing the aviation and marine industries millions of dollars to upgrade navigational systems and charts.
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Why is magnetic north shifting?

The Earth's core of hot liquid iron is constantly moving. That motion, combined with forces such as the Earth's rotation, dictate the position of magnetic north, not to be confused with geographic north, or the North Pole.

"Magnetic north is shifting all the time; it's a continuous process, not an event," said Jeffrey Love, a geophysicist with the U.S. Geological Survey Geomagnetism Program, based in Golden, Colo.

Over the past century, the shift has been increasing in speed. It went from creeping as slow as nine miles per year in the early 1900s to more than 35 miles per year in the 2000s. However, that acceleration also is part of natural cycle, Love said.

"In 10 to 20 years from now, it might be slowing down," he said.

Currently, the shift creates about a one-degree difference in compass direction every five years, Love said. Accordingly, the Federal Aviation Administration evaluates airport runway numbers every five years, said Kathleen Bergen, FAA spokeswoman.

The FAA could not say how many airports are affected. However, scores of large and small airports in the United States have either changed or plan to change their runways' numbers, which are based on compass directions.

Palm Beach International Airport changed its three runway numbers in December 2009 at a cost of $268,686. That included repainting the runway numbers, replacing signs and updating publications, said airport spokeswoman Casandra Davis.

http://articles.sun-sentinel.com/201...tional-airport

[Selta]

Related article from a few weeks ago, 4 pages total, here's a snippet:
http://www.helium.com/items/2083868-...al-superstorms

NASA has been warning about it…scientific papers have been written about it…geologists have seen its traces in rock strata and ice core samples…

Now "it" is here: an unstoppable magnetic pole shift that has sped up and is causing life-threatening havoc with the world's weather.

Forget about global warming—man-made or natural—what drives planetary weather patterns is the climate and what drives the climate is the sun's magnetosphere and its electromagnetic interaction with a planet's own magnetic field.

This article goes into a lot more detail on the shift etc.

[bassrique]

Originally Posted by Ray Salamon

Related article from a few weeks ago, 4 pages total, here's a snippet:
http://www.helium.com/items/2083868-...al-superstorms


This article goes into a lot more detail on the shift etc.

I think I read the same article. I didn't bookmark it, and I've been looking for it with no success. However I did read it somewhere else that had various peer-reviewed studies referenced at the end.

[nutdog]

Forget about global warming—man-made or natural—what drives planetary weather patterns is the climate and what drives the climate is the sun's magnetosphere and its electromagnetic interaction with a planet's own magnetic field.

Well, apparently everyone agrees we're doomed to some sort of catastrophic end to civilization in the near future. We just can't decide which one. There's so many great choices. What a great time to be pessimist.

[bassrique]

Originally Posted by nutdog

Well, apparently everyone agrees we're doomed to some sort of catastrophic end to civilization in the near future. We just can't decide which one. There's so many great choices. What a great time to be pessimist.

Shirley it's the lament threads that will kill us all.

[okcrum]

Originally Posted by bassrique

Shirley it's the lament threads that will kill us all.

...or the awakening of the Mothman.

[Passinwind]

Originally Posted by okcrum

...or the awakening of the Mothman.

To be followed by the return of the Accuswitch.

[iamlowsound]

The magnetic North Pole has nothing to do with modern GPS (more correctly GNSS, GPS is the US version) systems. GPS is controlled by 26 satellites and four base stations around the world that use precise timing and a grid system that is tied to the geographical north pole for location purposes. The other GNSS systems around the world are set up the same way.

lowsound

[Munjibunga]

When I was in college (waaaaay back in the mid-70s), we set the declination on our Brunton compasses at 16° 45’ east. Now the declination here is 12° 4’ east. That's a lot of travel in 35 years.