Magnetic North Pole Shifts, Forces Runway Closures at Florida Airport

Magnetic North Pole Shifts, Forces Runway Closures at Florida Airport

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

The magnetic fields vary from place to place. Adjustments are needed now at airports in Tampa, but they aren't immediately required at all airports across the country.

Maybe this is affecting the one specific bird species that keeps dropping from the sky. The article goes on to state that the magnetic pole is shifting at almost 30-40 feet per year.

I wonder why the airport redoing their runway is news worthy, while a magnetic pole shift of that magnitude is ignore?

Posted a few days ago.....

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reply to post by OneisOne


Doah!

PLease lock / remove Mods

The closure is due to runway upgrades.

The renumbering is due to the shift.

Neither is out of the ordinary. Check out airliners.net. The pilots are used to number changes and show no concern at all.