North Magnetic Pole Shifts, NOAA Updates World Model

news image
Special Stories
5 Feb 2019 7:05 AM
[This map shows the location of the north magnetic pole (white star) and the magnetic declination (contour interval 2 degrees) at the beginning of 2019. Courtesy of NOAA NCEI/CIRES.] [NOAA] Earth’s northern magnetic pole is moving quickly away from the Canadian Arctic toward Siberia. This movement has forced NCEI’s scientists to update the World Magnetic Model (WMM) mid-cycle.

Typically, a new and updated version of the WMM is released every five years. With the last release in 2015, the next version is scheduled for release at the end of 2019. Due to unplanned variations in the Arctic region, scientists have released a new model to more accurately represent the change of the magnetic field between 2015 and now.

This out-of-cycle update before next year’s official release of WMM2020 will ensure safe navigation for military applications, commercial airlines, search and rescue operations, and others operating around the North Pole.

Uses of the WMM

The military uses the WMM for undersea and aircraft navigation, parachute deployment, and more. Other governmental organizations, such as NASA, the Federal Aviation Administration, U.S. Forest Service, and many more use this technology for surveying and mapping, satellite/antenna tracking, and air traffic management.

Smartphone and consumer electronics companies also rely on the WMM to provide consumers with accurate compass apps, maps, and GPS services.

Airport runways are perhaps the most visible example of a navigation aid updated to match shifts in Earth’s magnetic field. Airports around the country use the data to give runways numerical names, which pilots refer to on the ground.

“The declination has changed just over 2.5 degrees over the past 22 years since Denver opened,” Heath Montgomery, the international airport’s former spokesperson, said after the last update.

Compasses use declination (the difference between true north and where your compass points) to help correct navigation systems for a wide variety of uses. As Earth's magnetic field evolves between the 5-year release schedule of the WMM, these predicted values can become off as the rate of change in Earth's magnetic field evolves due to unpredictable flows in Earth’s core. The north polar region is experiencing one of these erratic changes.

Edited for WeatherNation by Meteorologist Mace Michaels

All Weather News
More
ENHANCED (level 3 out of 5) Risk for Severe Storms

ENHANCED (level 3 out of 5) Risk for Severe Storms

A strong area of low pressure and an associat

20 May 2025 8:35 PM
Southern California: Heat Advisories in Effect

Southern California: Heat Advisories in Effect

CALIFORNIA - The National Weather Service has

20 May 2025 8:00 PM
Flooding Threat Continues Across the Country

Flooding Threat Continues Across the Country

Showers and storms will rumble through midwee

20 May 2025 6:40 PM
Gulf Coast Heat Continues

Gulf Coast Heat Continues

Our stretch of record heat will persist throu

20 May 2025 6:30 PM
Northeast Turns Cool & Soggy End Of Week

Northeast Turns Cool & Soggy End Of Week

An area of low pressure stalls later this wee

20 May 2025 6:23 PM
An Area to Watch in the Pacific Already

An Area to Watch in the Pacific Already

Hurricane Season has begun in the Eastern Pac

20 May 2025 5:40 PM
State of Emergency Declared for Greer Fire in Arizona

State of Emergency Declared for Greer Fire in Arizona

RIZONA - The Governor of Arizona has issued a

20 May 2025 5:30 PM