This story has caused a big stir online, leading many people to jump to the conclusion that the magnetic poles are shifting, and doom is near.<\/p>\n
The runways have large numbers visible to the pilots when they land the planes. The numbers are used for the pilots to line up their compasses for a safe decent and landing.<\/p>\n
The earth\u2019s magnetic poles have changed so much that the 180 degree reading is now 190 degrees, and this could lead to problems, especially as the poles continue to move. Tampa Airport has been forced to shut down<\/strong> and re-do all these numbers on the runways.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
Suddenly there is debate about what harm a pole shift could cause, and very little information about whether the poles really are shifting. Here’s some quick info:<\/p>\n
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- The magnetic North Pole has been on the move ever since we first pinpointed it, and is currently moving at 25 miles per year. The rate of movement is accelerating, but this is not a pole shift, just business as usual. It can also vary by 50 miles each day, so its position is an average.<\/li>\n
- The exact location hasn’t been officially stated for a few years, so it is always possible that the government knows it is moving faster still, and just hasn’t let on. However, millions of people have a compass at home and know roughly which way north is. We’d soon hear about it if compasses started pointing the wrong way.<\/li>\n
- There are anomalies all over the world, so in some places compasses are not accurate<\/li>\n
- Every five years, federal agencies tabulate and publish a value called magnetic variation …If there is a change of more than three degrees<\/a> at any given airport, then runways need to be renumbered<\/em><\/li>\n
- London’s Stansted Airport did the same in 2009<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n