Deviation of 150 km: the magnetic pole has shifted significantly, and systems urgently require updates.

Experts from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) in the U.S. and the British Geological Survey (BGS) have joined forces, as they do every five years, to create a new, more accurate model of the magnetic world (WMM). Researchers now assert that it is time to recalibrate navigation systems on ships and aircraft, as the position of the North Magnetic Pole is officially shifting from Canada towards Siberia, reports Science Alert.

The geographic North Pole remains stationary; however, this is not the case for the magnetic North Pole. The WMM precisely determines the location of the magnetic North Pole — the point where the planet's magnetic field points downward.

Scientists note that for the first time in history, they have access to a higher resolution map: offering more than ten times the detail, with a spatial resolution of about 300 km at the equator, compared to the previous standard of 3300 km.

Research data indicate that traveling a distance of 8500 km from South Africa to the UK in a straight line would result in an object deviating from its course by 150 km by the end if using an old version of the WMM instead of the newer one. This is a striking example of how the shifting of the Earth's magnetic North Pole can impact navigation. Consequently, scientists insist that mapping and logistics companies, along with governments and official agencies, need to implement updates without delay.

According to global geomagnetic modeler William Brown from the British Geological Survey, major airlines will update navigation software across all aircraft fleets to incorporate the new model. NATO military forces will also need to update software across all complex navigation systems and equipment.

At the same time, no changes will be necessary for our phones and satellite navigators — this will occur automatically.

It is worth noting that the Earth's magnetic North Pole was first discovered by Sir James Clark Ross in northern Canada in 1831. Since then, scientists have gradually learned to track it with increasing precision, utilizing measurements taken worldwide as well as data collected by satellites in Earth orbit.