Magnetic North Pole Shifts, Forces Runway Closures at Florida Airport

[katty]

more:
http://www.foxnews.com/scitech/2011/01/06/magnetic-north-pole-shifts-forces-closure-florida-airport/

The planet's northern magnetic pole is drifting slowly but steadily towards Russia -- and it's throwing off planes in Florida.

Tampa International Airport was forced to readjust its runways Thursday to account for the movement of the Earth's magnetic fields, information that pilots rely upon to navigate planes. Thanks to the fluctuations in the force, the airport has closed its primary runway until Jan. 13 to change taxiway signs to account
for the shift, the Federal Aviation Administration said.

The poles are generated by movements within the Earth's inner and outer cores, though the exact process isn't exactly understood. They're also constantly in flux, moving a few degrees every year, but the changes are almost never of such a magnitude that runways require adjusting, said Paul Takemoto, a spokesman for the FAA.

[TwilightGardener]

1. Maybe that's what's doing the birds in?

Maybe the magnetic shift is making them all cattywampus. :tinfoilhat:

[zazen]

5. that's just what I was wondering!

Is there someone on DU who could comment as to whether the birds and sea creatures in question ( assuming these incidences are greater than an aggregate of those reported in any other week long frame) are affected enough by an unusual magnetic shift such that it would overstress them or cause them to be, well, collectively self-destructive? (I guess by that definition, it's already wreaking havoc on Americans, judging by how we're choosing "leadership" that's self-destructive.)

(clearly scientifically illiterate here, but really curious)

[groovedaddy]

6. Google it...you'll find boatloads of speculation on this very topic. Tread at your own risk! n.t

[DavidDvorkin]

2. Major airports and modern airliners use magnetic compasses?

Instead of GPS systems? I'm surprised.

[JBoy]

3. Runway identifications are based on magnetic bearing.

Eg, runway 23 is aligned to (roughly) 230 degrees magnetic.

They're rounded to the nearest 10 degrees, so depending on the actual alignment and the amount of magnetic shift, a runway 23 might have to be changed to either 22 or 24.

Eg. if the actual bearing is 234 degrees magnetic, it would be runway 23. If it drifts to 236 magnetic, it should be called runway 24.

[katty]

8. great info-thanks!

[kickysnana]

4. Oh oh. n/t

[villager]

7. disturbia, indeed...

A year of auguries and omens?

[nykym]

9. Guess we will be hearing

from Billy O on this real soon!

Tide goes in Tide goes out...