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Subscribe to RSSWFLA's Brooks Garner reports on the pole shift.
Don't think of this as another sign of the apocalypse, but Earth's magnetic north pole has been shifting enough that Tampa's airport has to repaint the numbers on its runways.
Tampa International Airport in Florida has closed its primary runway until Jan. 13 to change the numeric designations at each end, as well as the signage on taxiways leading to the runway. The Tampa Tribune said the runway had been designated 18R/36L, indicating its alignment along the 180-degree approach from the north and the 360-degree approach from the south. Now the numbers are being revised to read 19R/1L (190 degrees and 10 degrees).
Two other runways will be closed later this month for a similar signage change, the Tribune reported.
The changes are required by the Federal Aviation Administration, which wants the numeric designations to reflect magnetic-north headings to the nearest 10-degree increment.
For decades, the magnetic north pole has been migrating from Canadian Arctic territory toward Russia. That shift has accelerated in recent years, and current estimates suggest that the pole is moving at almost 40 miles a year. Maps from Natural Resources Canada chart the movement since 1831 and project the trend through 2050. Movements in the magnetic poles are caused by the motion of molten iron at Earth's core, which serves as the planet's magnetic dynamo. Here's how NASA explains the process.
Airports generally change their runway designations every few decades, depending on how the pole shifts shake out numerically. For example, Stansted Airport in the London area renamed its 23/05 runway as 22/04 in July 2009 to reflect the magnetic shift. "It'll roughly be another 56 years before we have to consider changing it again," Trevor Waldock, head of airside operations at Stansted, told the BBC at the time.
A catastrophic pole shift is one of the oft-used plot devices in doomsday tales — and some of the doomsayers have tried to link the phenomenon to the 2012 Maya apocalypse. Earth's magnetic poles have been known to reverse themselves every 400,000 years or so, in a process that's outlined in the video above.
This NASA Web page explains that the shift in the magnetic poles, or even a pole reversal, need not be feared. "As far as we know, such a magnetic reversal doesn't cause any harm to life on Earth," NASA says. But a lot of runway numbers might need to be repainted.
More about doomsday nightmares:
- Alien invaders vs. the truth squad
- Solar cycle sparks doomsday buzz
- Doomsday debate over Betelgeuse
- 2012: The end is not near
Update for 8:45 p.m. ET: NBC News' Brian Williams weighs in on the pole shift and the Tampa airport's makeover in this "Nightly News" video clip.
Connect with the Cosmic Log community by "liking" the log's Facebook page or following @b0yle on Twitter. You can also check out "The Case for Pluto," my book about the controversial dwarf planet and the search for new worlds.
Leave a Comment:
So, with the north and south pole shifting, the colder regions of our planet will not be over masses of water but over masses of land.... get ready for some polar ice melting.
yeah because MAGNETIC north swapping with MAGNETIC south actually changes where land exists... palins tupid award for u
hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha
You are confusing the magnetic poles with the axis of rotation. They are not saying that the earth's axis of rotation is shifting. Its just about where your compass needle points. Have a cup of hot cocoa and a warm bath and you'll feel better.
all aiports will eventually change runway numbers...but note variation will be the greatest closer to the equator...thus they will work from south to north....as noted GPS into tampa will show about 7* now when lined up for runway 36
Another couple of guys who are good arm chair quarterbacks, but did poorly in science class. Magnetic North and Axis of rotation are two different things.
So living way up here in northern Canada (near the 60* mark) does that mean I'm getting closer to Santa or not?
By the very mild winter we have been having I think we are moving south
You're confusing the geographic pole (about which the earth rotates) with the magnetic pole (where "north" is on the earth's magnetic field). The two are distinct, and not particularly close together. The article is about movement of the magnetic, not geographic, pole. There will be no effect from this movement on what the cold regions are, land or water.
Actually, the earth's magnetic North pole is in the Southern Hemisphere and the South magnetic pole is in the Northern hemisphere. Sounds weird, but true. The geographic poles are our of phase with the magnetic poles in this stage of the earth's history. Look it up in any college electronic text book.
Happy New Year
Yes, we label poles on magnets by the direction that they point, so the compass needle marked "N" is better described as a north-seeking pole. Since magnetic opposites attract, it's pointing towards the south magnetic pole of the Earth, which is in the Northern Hemisphere.
Kinda important if your coming into Tampa, a few degrees off you will either be in the Bay swimming or the upper decks of the Buccaneers stadium. Good call to update............
I can think of the Reef Runway of Honolulu Airport for a similar example.
Don't worry Bill...
Airliners use GPS navigation to tell where they are... not magnetic North references on a compass. The runway designations are for visual approach using VFR rules.
TCG
So does St Pete and Brandon have to do the same?
Actually, some runways may not need to be changed, depending on airport location in relation to where the pole is moving. Example, if an airport has a runway 180, and is in line with the axis pole and magnetic pole, and the pole moves straight north or south along a longitude (or even generally north/south), then no change would be noticed. If it moved along a latitude, east or west, then it may change the magnetic bearing depending on how far it moved.
Depending on where the airports are and where the magnetic pole is moving will depend on whether or not the runways need changing.
All navigation charts will need to be changed, however. Pilot maps are oriented for magnetic north, so a map of one are may be lined up different from a map of the adjoining area due to differences in magnetic vs true north. Not all pilots have GPS, some of us fly by charts, timing and landmarks, or occasionally lining up with a VOR.
What's scary about this is all the money it's going to cost in paint and labor. Think of the lost taxes as the airports make less net income on which to pay taxes to the various governments that tax them due to cost write-offs taken by the airports. This could end up causing Moody´s to downgrade a few municipalities to junk status. If I were a mayor I would be shaking in my boots and praying to the heavens!
OK... I get it...
Satire!!
TCG
True, but look at all the jobs it will create! And those people will pay taxes on the income earned on all that extra work.
O.K. magneism not a probem except for migratory birds, fish,whales, and other land mammals who get lost. they are guided by the magnetic fields.
No wonder I keep getting so bloated and irritable!
Bill 402, I did the St Marteen runway on an AA line jet recently. They should issue Depend's underwear for all passengers :) It was on the top ten wild airline approaches..................
Yea, and try coming into Aruba sideways to offset the trade winds. It felt like the Pilot was trying to perform a mid-air power slide parallel park maneuver, and then chickened out at the last moment. Only one side of the plane got the full excitement of seeing land approaching from directly outside their windows, while the other side saw nothing but water until T-minus 2 seconds to touchdown...A real E ticket ride!
Bill Dunedin, I had a similar experience on my recent flight to Honolulu.
You haven't lived until you do the "checkerboard" pattern approach into Hong Kong -- -- I'd sure love to have the tire concession there.
Paranoia will destroy ya. These doomsday people make me laugh, the earth has been around for 5 billion years but its going to end tomorrow, give me a break. The earth will still be here long after we're all gone, the further back you look, the farther ahead you can see.
It's true!
A generation is going, and a generation is coming; but the earth is standing even to time indefinite. - Ecclesiastes 1:4
I am not in the know on this really as pertaining to airports and runways, but my first impression would be that a modern GPS navigation system would supercede a simple compass in a LOT of applications...
It would, as would a gyrocompass-based system. Both are aligned to "true" north, rather than magnetic north. Most privately-owned general aviation aircraft, however, still use the older whiskey compass, which is aligned to the magnetic poles. The runway markings still reflect the older system. Balancing between the two is nothing new to anyone who has ever navigated using a standard Lensmatic compass and geodetic survey map.
I do wonder what the pole shift will do to the magnetic sphere that helps shield our planet from misc. harmful solar waves. It isn't the magnetic pole shift that's the problem, it's the temporary lose of shielding the magnetic field provides that may cause danger to life on Earth. I've heard estimates of 50 to 300 years for the poles to actually shift and inbetween some pretty random magnetic fields. IDK, I'm just a layman.
Pole dancers rejoice!
One thing no one has calculated and measured is the effect on the temperature below the magnetic poles to see if they are changing the overall temperature at different points to increase/decrease the ice melt. This overall temperature would be due to where the solar radiation enters the earths atmosphere due to the magnetic field and its location.
Such as, does its angle to the solar wind have any effect on the amount of radiation entering the atmosphere? Does its position effect the temperature below the poles and thereby changing the environment around the north and south pole?
Could it cause an increase or decrease in high clouds, causing warming or cooling? Does the radiation increase or decrease the water droplets (clouds) or have no effect?
I have been unable to find any research in this area, and as such if there is none, then we really have no idea what the effect of the moving poles is, be it major minor or indifferent. And guessing does no one any good.
Actually, this HAS been studied. The variations in cosmic-ray flux (and other secondaries from energetic particles impinging on the earth's atmosphere) as a function of magnetic latitude are quite well known and vary seasonally, with solar activity, etc. Their absolute energy content is extremely small. I'll hunt up references if you really want them, but trust me, they're there. They are important in understanding performance of communications satellites and the power grid (which is why they've been studied extensively), even though their direct significance for human (or plant/animal) health is small.
The incredibly overwhelming majority of the energy received from the sun is in the form of photons (light, infrared, ultraviolet, etc.) having no electrical charge. Photons just go zipping through the magnetic field as if it wasn't there, apart from polarization effects (negligible for insolation) and weird, transient secondary things resulting from changes in the opacity of the upper atmosphere.
Bad Bill is totally on it.
Clarks Law: "Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic." And many magically assume knowledge of advanced technologies- in error.
Here's the problem- few have any technical education- but technology rules our lives. It looks like magic- so, it should be intuitive and easy to follow, right? I can use my i-Phone, so, what's the big deal, right? Uh...no.
Everyone thinks they're qualified to express an opinion- assuming everyone else is also guessing (often true, but sometimes embarrassingly wrong).
Bottom line: no one who can't accurately describe the meaning of the term "Gauss", tell you what direction a field rotates around current flow, grasp the implications of the inverse square law relative to field strength, and understand what happens when a copper coil passes through a magnetic field has any business expressing any ideas about the nature of the magnetic field around this planet. Sorry- thems the fax.
If the magnetic fields around our planet collapsed, you might have some issues- especially if it happened quickly enough to induce an electromagnetic pulse across planetary power grids (it can't, so don't worry). Magnetic fields help deflect charged particles (collectively called "the solar wind")- so communications networks would degrade from additional solar rfi, satellites would see more wear and tear from flare activity, and background radiation, especially on aircraft at high altitudes, would go way up. There are a lot of other effects- but some are pretty esoteric. Long term, it would be disastrous.
Still, a slow drift in magnetic north (and south, of course) is nothing to worry about- and couldn't result in a polar meltdown under any circumstances. Evidence? As the field drifted, the edges of the ice should follow that drift in a pattern predictable by the change in the magnetic pole's location. This hasn't happened- and that's a wrap.
"This NASA Web page explains that the shift in the magnetic poles, or even a pole reversal, need not be feared. "As far as we know, such a magnetic reversal doesn't cause any harm to life on Earth," NASA says. But a lot of runway numbers might need to be repainted".
WOW, what a lot of absolute false information, something I would expect the Zionist running Israels propaganda office to print AND this is coming out of the American taxpayer provided NASA!
A large sudden shift in the magnet fields would of course in the least temporarily shut down electrical activity on Planet Earth globally as magnet fields are tied directly into electricity and the fields that produce it. The earth's stable magnetic field is vitally important in shielding the earth from lethal cosmic radiation including solar radiation from this solar system's sun. The earth's gravitational field appears to be linked to the earth's molten magnetic core which would likely cause global seismic anomalies resulting in earthquakes and volcanic venting of magma.
So NASA is 'stating' nothing to fear from Cosmic radiation slipping onto the earths surface if the Earth Magnetic field suddenly moved or reversed. Makes one seriously wonder if that increase in solar and cosmic radiation is already impacting the earth and making up the missing portion of global warming.
Many years ago when the US Navy, Army and Airforce were conducting all kinds of unethical and immoral tests, studys and experiments on the American people at large, often without their knowledge. One study by the US Airforce involved the sudden magnet field reversals effect on the human body in preparation of sending astronauts into orbit. They found it immediately rendered unconsciousness, likely due to a sudden temporary change or loss of electrical impulses in the human body. Did their hearts skip a beat or stop for a moment, I do not know only that I recall that study indicated instant unconsciousness. That was many years ago, if you want to search for it go ahead, I have no idea if it was archived and placed onto a webserver or just shelved on some dusty shelf of pre-NASA experiments.
Smith, your rants are getting old. The magnetic poles have been moving around ever since the Earth was formed. Just check the angle of declination on any geodetic survey map.
Hey, Smith... if that was satire, then- BRAVO!
If not- my condolences to your body for the tragic and untimely death of your brain.
The gravitational field has no relationship to the magnetic field. Proof: the moon has a gravitational field but no magnetic field, as its core is solid rock, not liquid metal.
A complete shift in the magnetic poles will mean that in the evening it will be too bright to see anything, and we'll all have to buy nightbulbs.
OK now lets get somethings strait. a "wet ball compass" is required since you can have electrical failures and therefore no GPS. Next when navigating in the air your runway alinement's are based on Magnetic heading not polar. As far as the polar inclination shift it doesn't happen over night as is pointed out with the forty to fifty year cycle for repainting. Just a thought.
Actually, the story is incorrect. the earth's North magnetic pole is presently in the Southern hemisphere and the South magnetic pole is in the Northern hemisphere. Go to any college-level book on electronics to see for your self.
Is this happening on other planets alan? For almost 2 decades now I have tried to grep this concept with the concept that another magnetic field is the underlying cause, most would say it is the mag field of our sun, which is just about to complete a shift of it's own as we speak!!, but I think it is something greater than that, Either a localized galactic field or the general galactic magnetic field or a field even larger, perhaps comprising a local group of galaxies...my personal gut feeling says we are nearer to a large magnatar than we ever thought and that periodically we or it find ourselves in a counterfield position in relation to the object, an educated guess without proper data but based on extensions of cause and effect. I can' wait to see the gravitational deltas of the planet over time overlaid on the mag pole drift positions, surely a planetary core of hot spinning iron has a measureable gravitational gradient...(that is also hint to all you people working on artificial gravity 2)
Ray, this totally off topic, but are you the Facebook chimp? If that question makes no sense, never mind and sorry to have troubled you. If this is the same Ray Smith, then isn't it a small blogospherical world?
Its the magnetic rim that changes. There is no north pole or south pole. If you were at north pole or south pole you would be in outer space, because there is no land mass below. There is a 1400 mile diameter hole that leads to the hollowed Earth. Yes, the Earth is hollow, both north and south. All planets are hollow, that is how life began. The gov't lies, lies, and lies. Read about Rear Admiral Richard E. Byrd's flight over the rim. It seems like truth is always ignored. They decide what to teach our kids, to mess with our minds and to keep from us information that would help us understand the Universe. People, you have to wake up. Stop watching TV and start going to the library or the internet and start doing research. Ask questions and don't be the ones to parrot the same old garbage that they pump into our heads.
Why aren't Republicans on top of the north pole falling into Russian hands? That should be justification enough for a war against Iran or something.
You are confusing the magnetic poles with the axis of rotation. They are not saying that the earth's axis of rotation is shifting. Its just about where your compass needle points. Have a cup of hot cocoa and a warm bath and you'll feel better.
"Sometimes, maybe, a little change can be a good thing," says the linked NASA article at its conclusion, after explaining how this one guy's job to keep tracking the pole's movements up in cold northern Canada might one day be performed in warm Tahiti, instead. Well, nice for one guy -- in the meantime:
Magnetic compasses become unreliable, as multiple poles start erupting in these other places. The world's not all GPS navigation for everybody all the time. Furthermore, the supercomputer model showing the complex changes to the Earth's magnetic field during a pole reversal make me wonder about the resulting shape of the magnetosphere surrounding Earth in space, and how it would deflect radiation from the solar wind and occasional solar storm events.
The article speaks of the possibility of an aurora over Tahiti, if a new pole hypothetically appeared there. (I wonder if properly called borealis or australis, since new definitions for "north" would have to be developed) But would these new patterns of solar radiation bombardment (which is what causes the aurora) also cause disruptions to satellite communications, including from those GPS?
Incidentally, not all of the world's airports have to make these runway changes, depending upon their location relative to the pole's movement. Airports lying on a line drawn between the 2 pole locations in 1994 and 2001, for instance, as shown on the GSC map, and extended down into North America, would see no magnetic change at all, as the pole is moving directly away from them, not obliquely. Likewise, on the other side of the world the pole is advancing toward them directly. It's like watching someone walk straight at or away from you, versus walking at an angle. With the latter you must move your eyes and head to keep following them as they leave or approach you, but with the former you don't need to change your angle of view at all.
But the sky isn't falling yet, neither literally nor figuratively. And I was heartened to read that the magnetic field will not totally disappear during the reversal period, taking the magnetosphere with it and leaving life on Earth exposed to harmful radiation from space, IF this model and paleomagnetism research are correct in that regard. Previously I had indeed read dire predictions of all life becoming at risk over whatever time cycle it will take for the next reversal to occur. Hope we'll have a few more decades to continue to develop our technology to the point where such a reversal, predicted to begin relatively suddenly, will hardly be a practical inconvenience to us.
You got to do something with that stimulus money or they will demand it back. Does anyone really believe this nonsense? Bureaucrats at work.
Yeah, you're right. Because of that, I want to sell you my bridge in Brooklyn for cheap, cheap, cheap!
Of course, I believe it! One more time: the magnetic poles have been moving since time immemorial. The geodetic survey maps the Army uses for cross-country movements have always reflected this fact. It's real, but nothing to worry about, especially if you use GPS instead of the old-fashioned whiskey compass I learned to navigate by.
Let's say, for illustration purposes, that magnetic north was somewhere in the middle of northern Canada, and you were up in the Yukon. Your compass would point well east of north, but your map's legend would reflect that fact. You would Make your sightings, adjust for the declination, and go on about your business, as soldiers and hikers have done for decades. This is just information, not an issue.
I think it is a Russian plot to gather up all the magnetism.
Ok, so what does government plan to do if a complete pole shift were to occur, if the poles were to suddenly flip within days or weeks. Are scientists so concerned or certain that a complete pole reversal will occur that governments must reprogram satellites and every other technology that depends on geo-magnetic location, it might take some getting used to as for many, heading North will still feel like you're going North, and heading south, well its still warmer the further south you go, so that won't change, But yea man, I'm gonna head North to Tahiti today, and head to the North Pole in Australia tomorrow.
Prolly a really dumb question, but why are not ALL airports redesignating their runways if as stated it is required by the FAA?
The more recent ones have not been there long enough for the drift to invalidate the label. Tampa started out as Drew Field Municipal Airport- in 1928.
Also, cut and pasted from an erudite post above by Red_Vespa: "Incidentally, not all of the world's airports have to make these runway changes, depending upon their location relative to the pole's movement. Airports lying on a line drawn between the 2 pole locations in 1994 and 2001, for instance, as shown on the GSC map, and extended down into North America, would see no magnetic change at all, as the pole is moving directly away from them, not obliquely. Likewise, on the other side of the world the pole is advancing toward them directly. It's like watching someone walk straight at or away from you, versus walking at an angle. With the latter you must move your eyes and head to keep following them as they leave or approach you, but with the former you don't need to change your angle of view at all.
Because every airport (like every building) is unique, in terms of layout and location. FAA simply requires that the runway number match up with compass heading (within 5 degrees, so runway 1 is between 5 and 15 degrees). Since each runway at each airport is unique, as is their location in relation to the magnetic pole... the shift would happen at different times. So perhaps Tampa's just slid from 4.999 to 5.001... meanwhile, Orlando or Atlanta's may be at, say, 3 or 7 and will need similar treatment but not at the same time. The magnetic pole is actually in northeastern Canada (last I checked) so airports such as Boston, Manchester, Providence, New York, Montreal, etc. may be even MORE susceptible.
Ok, lets see now if I got this right. The magnetic North pole is shifting, OK got it. I live in the upper Ohio state. That means some day when I walk outside and decide to go to Florida I will get my compass out to get a reading. The compass will tell me to go NORTH to get to Florida.