Phys.org December 17, 2019
The team of researchers that maintain the World Magnetic Model (WMM) has updated it and released it a year ahead of schedule due to the speed with which the pole is moving. The model is normally updated every five years. The model is maintained jointly by the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the British Geological Survey. Data for the model comes from satellites and 160 land-based observatories. It is currently not known why the poles drift nor is the mechanism driving them understood. Since 1831 the north magnetic pole has traveled 1,400 miles since it was first discovered—and has changed speed, as well. As recently as 2000, the speed was clocked at 10 km/year. The latest readings show it moving at a brisk 50 km/year. The WMM is important because of the critical role it plays in navigation—in addition to GPS, militaries around the world rely on it for a wide variety of navigational applications…read more.
Courtesy of NOAA NCEI