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Why is the north magnetic pole racing toward Siberia?

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Ichingcarpenter Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Fri Jan-07-11 01:21 PM
Original message
Why is the north magnetic pole racing toward Siberia?
Edited on Fri Jan-07-11 01:29 PM by Ichingcarpenter
For more than 150 years after Ross's measurement its movement was gradual, generally less than 15 kilometers per year. But then, in the 1990s, it picked up speed in a big way, bolting north–northwest into the Arctic Ocean at more than 55 kilometers per year. If it keeps going it could pass the geographic north pole in a decade or so and carry on toward Siberia. But why?



One compelling explanation appears in the December 21 Eos, the weekly transactions of the American Geophysical Union. In their Eos article (subscription required), and in a longer paper published earlier in 2010 in the Journal of Geophysical Research–Solid Earth, Arnaud Chulliat of the Institute of Earth Physics of Paris and his colleagues venture that a twisting molten plume beneath the Artic could be the cause:

SNIP.....

"What happened under the New Siberian Islands at the core surface is that the rate of change of the magnetic field changed by a large amount during the 1990s," Chulliat says. That activity, he and his colleagues have found, could account for a large portion of the NMP's acceleration. But whether magnetic field changes under the New Siberian Islands and the speeding north magnetic pole ultimately arise from a twisted plume of fluid rising through the core remains unproved, Chulliat and his co-authors note. A resolution of the mystery will await better modeling, along with more data from satellites monitoring the Arctic's magnetic environment. The necessity of satellites, interestingly enough, is a consequence of the pole's recent movement—as the NMP drifts farther out to sea, it becomes harder and harder to reach the region with magnetometer-equipped aircraft.



http://www.scientificamerican.com/blog/post.cfm?id=why-is-the-north-magnetic-pole-raci-2010-12-24



ALSO:

Magnetic North Pole Shifts, Forces Runway Closures at Florida Airport


The planet's northern magnetic pole is drifting slowly but steadily towards Russia -- and it's throwing off planes in Florida.

Tampa International Airport was forced to readjust its runways Thursday to account for the movement of the Earth's magnetic fields, information that pilots rely upon to navigate planes. Thanks to the fluctuations in the force, the airport has closed its primary runway until Jan. 13 to change taxiway signs to account for the shift, the Federal Aviation Administration said.

The poles are generated by movements within the Earth's inner and outer cores, though the exact process isn't exactly understood. They're also constantly in flux, moving a few degrees every year, but the changes are almost never of such a magnitude that runways require adjusting, said Paul Takemoto, a spokesman for the FAA.


Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/scitech/2011/01/06/magnetic-nort...



Rapid movement of Magnetic North Pole towards Russia may have caused bird deaths



Another theory is that the rapid movement of the Magnetic North Pole towards Russia may have affected the birds' innate navigation systems.

Inbuilt navigation systems in birds and fish is believed to be affected by magnetism.
Scientists have said the Magnetic North Pole is shifting at an average of around 25 miles a year.
With birds and fish relying on it to travel to breeding grounds and warmed climes, there are fears that the shifting pole could be confusing the animals which means they do not migrate in time to avoid cold weather.
Tests are being carried out on the dead birds and fish, but results are not expected for several weeks.


Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1344913/Animal-...

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dixiegrrrrl Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Fri Jan-07-11 01:37 PM
Response to Original message
1. Interesting.
rec
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Speck Tater Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Fri Jan-07-11 01:38 PM
Response to Original message
2. "...adjust the runways" is misleading.
Runways are designated by their magnetic compass heading. For example, "runway 09" is any runway that points to 090 degrees magnetic (due east). Runway numbers can be anywhere from "00" to "36". The only "adjustment" necessary is to repaint the runway numbers. The article made it sound like they had to rip up to pavement and turn the whole runway in a different direction.
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Ichingcarpenter Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Fri Jan-07-11 01:55 PM
Response to Reply #2
4. Runway identifications are based on magnetic bearing.
Runway identifications are based on magnetic bearing.

Eg, runway 23 is aligned to (roughly) 230 degrees magnetic.

They're rounded to the nearest 10 degrees, so depending on the actual alignment and the amount of magnetic shift, a runway 23 might have to be changed to either 22 or 24.

Eg. if the actual bearing is 234 degrees magnetic, it would be runway 23. If it drifts to 236 magnetic, it should be called runway 24.
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Speck Tater Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Fri Jan-07-11 03:14 PM
Response to Reply #4
8. Ummm. Yes. That's exactly what I said.
All that's necessary is to repaint the runway numbers and signs (And update the books, of course)
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formercia Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Fri Jan-07-11 03:24 PM
Response to Reply #2
9. Just wait, it's Florida
the new GOP way to create jobs.
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MineralMan Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Fri Jan-07-11 01:41 PM
Response to Original message
3. The North Pole has been exiled to Siberia by Josef Stalin.
It just got the message a few months ago, and hasn't heard that the CCCP is out of business and Stalin's long dead.
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StandingInLeftField Donating Member (382 posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Fri Jan-07-11 02:07 PM
Response to Original message
5. It's just getting a running start.
Edited on Fri Jan-07-11 02:09 PM by StandingInLeftField
You know, for that magnetic pole reversal that's due any day (century) now.

But seriously, I wonder if greatly increased magnetic pole positional instability heralds the poles' reversal?
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wtbymark Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Fri Jan-07-11 02:14 PM
Response to Original message
6. The last reversal was 780,000 years ago
we are probably due for one, but don't count on it happenning in your lifetime. Here's a snipet from Wiki:
"The rate of reversals in the Earth's magnetic field has varied widely over time. 72 million years ago (Ma), the field reversed 5 times in a million years. In a 4-million-year period centered on 54 Ma, there were 10 reversals"

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geomagnetic_reversal
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Canuckistanian Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Fri Jan-07-11 02:27 PM
Response to Original message
7. Here are some maps of the movement of the NMP since 1831
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Ichingcarpenter Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sat Jan-08-11 08:39 AM
Response to Reply #7
11. Thanks I was gonna. Include that too. But I think I gave enough
To chew on

I found the Sci America article fascinating, been following this since I
Learn to really sail in the 90s

The Canadians are on top of this phenomena for good reason
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kmla Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Fri Jan-07-11 04:32 PM
Response to Original message
10. Actually, I think it is trying to move as far away from Sarah Palin as possible...
At least that's my theory.

:shrug:
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petronius Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Mon Jan-10-11 02:52 AM
Response to Original message
12. My guess: some mad Russian scientist has built a giant magnet in Siberia,
and it's pulling the entire planet out of whack... :scared:
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