The Enigmatic Journey of the Magnetic North Pole: Drifting Towards Siberia

Just in time for the influx of holiday travel, a new version of the World Magnetic Model (WMM) has been released, predicting the future of Earth’s magnetic field. The revised model indicates the current location of the magnetic north pole, which has been progressively moving toward Siberia in recent decades.

What is the World Magnetic Model?

The WMM, updated every five years, tracks alterations in Earth’s magnetic field. This model offers vital data for the airline and shipping sectors, which must refresh navigation systems to mirror the latest information. The WMM is the standard model utilized by numerous U.S. government bodies and global organizations, significantly affecting civilians who depend on precise GPS guidance to arrive at their destinations.

The new WMM2025 was launched last week and will remain valid until 2029. Amid the continual fluctuations in Earth’s magnetic field, the most prominent change is the migration of the magnetic north pole. The magnetic north pole differs from the geographic North Pole, which is the northernmost point of Earth’s axis (located at latitude 90 degrees north).

Read More: Earth’s Magnetic Field Is Almost Similar to What it Was Like 3.7 Billion Years Ago

The Drift of the Magnetic North Pole

For more than a century, the magnetic north pole has been steadily moving across the Arctic. Its position was first recorded in 1831 in Nunavut, northern Canada, by British explorer James Clark Ross. Since that observation, it has been advancing further into the Arctic Ocean; initially, it was shifting at approximately 15 kilometers per annum, but from the 1990s onward, it began to quicken to a pace of about 50-60 kilometers (~30-40 miles) annually. This accelerated movement results from an ongoing process taking place beneath Earth’s surface, often called the dynamo theory.

Earth’s magnetic field is consistently changing due to forces within the liquid outer core (located beneath the rocky mantle), where the swirling molten iron generates substantial electrical currents. Consequently, these currents sustain Earth’s magnetic field.

Interestingly, a tug-of-war between two significant magnetic lobes beneath Canada and Siberia has accelerated the movement of the magnetic north pole. Alterations in core flow between 1970 and 1999 extended the Canadian lobe, ultimately providing the Siberian lobe with the upper hand. Consequently, the magnetic north pole continues to drift toward Siberia. It is expected to persist in this direction over the next decade, potentially traveling an additional 390-660 km (~240-410 miles).

A 2022 study released in Earth and Planetary Science Letters disclosed that the trajectory of the magnetic north pole over the last century is merely the latest chapter of an enduring tug-of-war. By analyzing six sediment cores from Svalbard, a Norwegian archipelago in the Arctic Ocean, researchers determined that the magnetic pole has fluctuated between Canada and Siberia during the past 22,000 years.

Throughout these 22,000 years, the magnetic pole has experienced intervals of both stability and heightened acceleration, coinciding with the emergence and disappearance of magnetic field patches.

The Importance of Earth’s Magnetic Field

Earth’s magnetic field is also crucial for safeguarding the surface from solar wind and coronal mass ejections, which launch plasma and magnetized particles from the Sun’s corona. Although our magnetic field protects us from these celestial phenomena, there are instances when geomagnetic storms can penetrate our atmosphere.

Such events can lead to various issues, such as damaging satellites, interrupting radio communications, and causing blackouts. Nonetheless, these storms are perhaps most renowned for the spectacular auroras they generate. Particularly intense storms struck Earth in May and October 2024, resulting in vibrant displays of lights visible in the night sky.

The magnetic field has diminished by approximately 9 percent over the past 200 years, and an area situated between Africa and South America has seen a noteworthy decline in magnetic intensity, attracting the attention of scientists. This region, known as the South Atlantic Anomaly, may signal an early indication that Earth’s magnetic poles could reverse. Although this appears alarming, our planet has endured hundreds of pole reversals throughout its history. However, predicting the potential consequences of a new pole reversal is challenging, considering the last one took place 780,000 years ago.

Nonetheless, the weakening of the magnetic field does not inherently result in pole reversals, which require thousands of years to manifest. The South Atlantic Anomaly may even dissipate over time, as indicated by a 2022 study suggesting that it is part of a recurring phenomenon that has sporadically emerged over the past 9,000 years. While a pole reversal is unlikely to occur for millennia, scientists will remain vigilant concerning fluctuations within the magnetic field.

Read More: When North Goes South: Is Earth’s Magnetic Field Flipping?

Article Sources

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Jack Knudson is an assistant editor at Discover with a keen interest in environmental science and history. Before joining Discover in 2023, he pursued journalism at the Scripps College of Communication at Ohio University and has previously interned at Recycling Today magazine.