The magnetic north pole has been moving rapidly. This is how navigation instruments follow the step

What do we talk about when we talk about the North Pole? The truth is that it depends since, on our planet we can distinguish two key geographical points that respond to this name, but with different “surname.” They are the magnetic north pole and the geographical north pole. Distinguishing them is key because only one of them has a fixed location while the other wanders in their proximity.

But, in addition, it makes it faster.

Reviewing the location. The new year has been released With an update that has gone more or less unnoticed but that is of the utmost importance: it is the world magnetic model (WMM) of 2025. The revision of the model not only includes the information about its current position but also of its displacements planned in the next five years .

Accelerated movement. We have known for a long time that the magnetic north pole changes location and we know that the cause is in the changes in the magnetic field of the planet, a field generated by the connective iron movements of the interior of our planet.

What is most striking is that, during the last decades the displacement of the magnetic northern pole It has accelerated. If for 300 years this point ranged between the islands located north of Canada, since the end of the 20th century and especially during the new century, the speed of displacement of this markedly accelerated. Now the magnetic north has already exceeded the geographical north and is closer to Siberia than from Canada.

“The current behavior of the magnetic north is something we had never seen before. (…) In recent years he accelerated towards Siberia, increasing speed every year until about five, when he suddenly seized 50 to 35 km per year, ” explained in a press release William Brown, of the British Geological Survey (BGS), one of the institutions in charge of the development of the model.

The world magnetic model. The model It is the result of the collaboration between the National Environmental Information Centers (NCEI) of the NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) American and the BGS, as well as two intelligence agencies on both sides of the Atlantic. The model is used in various contexts, from aviation to commercial GPS and applications that use compasses on our mobile.

The model includes a series of maps that not only indicate the location of the magnetic north but also mapped the changes in the Earth’s magnetic field, allowing to know the behavior of compasses at each point of the northern hemisphere.

More precision. The latest version of the model, WMM2025will help improve navigation, especially in long -distance tours. As explained by the BGS, a trip between South Africa and the United Kingdom, using the old model, would imply a slight deviation of a degree on the way. The problem is that, over 8,500 kilometers, this very small deviation results in an error of 150 kilometers. The new model allows you to approach centimeters from the destination point.

The version also incorporates a novelty: a high resolution map that will accompany the “standard” and that can be used in contexts where greater precision is required. This version has a 300 km resolution in Ecuador, notably higher than the 3,300 km resolution in the standard version.

The next update. The WMM model is updated every five years, which means that we will have a new version in 2030, WMM2030. This assuming that I do not know any unexpected change in the speed or direction of the displacement that justifies an extraordinary review of the model.

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Image | NOAA NCI / Hendrik Morkel