The magnetic displacement of the Earth is a normal activity, but why are scientists afraid this time?
Recently, the British Geological Survey and the US Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) urgently updated the World Magnetic Model (WMM) map. For those who don’t know, WWM is the most basic foundation of the Global Positioning System.
Before that, the magnetic field map was last updated in 2015. Scientists predict that it will not be until 2020 that they will need to update the magnetic map. Yet it wasn’t until early 2019 that they were forced to change.
Why is there such an urgent change?
The answer is that the Earth’s magnetic field changes from “vertigo”. In particular, the North Pole continuously changed from Canada to Siberia for many years at a speed of about 55 km / year.
You should know that the magnetic field is the protective shield of the Earth against the solar wind and ultraviolet rays. Magnetic fields are also important for some animals because they are used to guide the activities of life.
Magnetic maps are considered “compasses” for modern navigation tools, playing an essential role in the control of ships, airplanes … Even navigation on Google Maps must also depend on it in addition.
If the Earth’s magnetic poles move too quickly, experts say, the entire planet is at risk of being exposed to solar storms. This will lead to the appearance of large holes in the ozone layer, negatively affecting humanity, although the percentage of occurrence is not high.
However, the rapid shifting of the magnetic field forced scientists to update the magnetic map. Otherwise the Global Positioning System will be misleading and you may not even be able to use Google Maps …
The author of the study, geology professor Arnaud Chulliat, said: “The phenomenon of magnetic displacement is accelerating”.
However, experts cannot explain why the Earth’s magnetic field has moved so quickly. There are many hypotheses around the world, such as the effect of magnetic waves in the core of the Earth, or the flow of metal at high speed underground.
NOAA’s operations have also been affected by the US government shutdown. Therefore, if the US government reopens, the new card will be officially announced next week. The worst-case scenario is that until the end of January this year, the new update will be released.
