GPS systems around the world are adjusting to a new model tracking Earth's magnetic north pole, the point that attracts the needle of a compass, which is now closer to Siberia than to Canada, reports the Washington Post. The point, which differs from the geographic North Pole at the top of the world, is determined by Earth's magnetic field and is in constant movement owing to the flow of liquid iron in the Earth's outer core. Indeed, it's shifted about six miles or less per year over the last four centuries, CNN reports. But its drift can speed up or slow down. Around 1990, it was drifting at a rate of 34 miles per year. Around 2015, it had slowed to about 22 miles per year.
It's important to track these changes to ensure pinpoint accuracy in navigation, including from GPS-enabled smartphones. Now, in the first update since 2020, the World Magnetic Model finds magnetic north mostly followed the path predicted five years ago, per CNN. It is now located at 85.762°N and 139.298°E. If a person flew from South Africa to the UK today "using the previous WMM and setting off just one degree off-course," they would end up about 93 miles off course, the British Geological Survey explains. The WMM is expected to move further toward Russia, though at a slowing rate, over the next five years, reaching 84.723°N and 126.092°E by 2030. "At its current trajectory, it is likely to approach Siberia in the next decade," per the Post. (More magnetic north stories.)
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