Everyone knows about the Earth’s poles: north and south. One is where the penguins live, the other one is where Santa Claus makes all our presents.
But have you ever spared a moment to wonder where exactly they are located?
You may be surprised to know that the north and south pole aren’t located in specific fixed locations. While the North Pole is actually located in the Arctic Ocean and the South Pole is in Antarctica, these points have actually moved over time.
That’s because the poles aren’t marked by a flag, they are just the theoretical points in geography where the longitude and latitude lines meet. If you were to poke a metal pole through the Earth at the point of rotation (like we do to a tabletop globe), the poles would be the points where this axis pierced through the surface.
But you may be surprised to know that the North and South Pole are both gradually moving – and they have actually switched places over the years too, due to changes in magnetic fields (though this last happened 780,000 years ago).
And according to a study published in the academic journal Nature Geoscience, this process isn’t stopping: in fact, researchers from the University of Leeds in the UK and the Technical University of Denmark predict that in the coming years, the North Pole will become closer and closer to Siberia:
“A range of simple models that capture this process indicate that over the next decade the north magnetic pole will continue on its current trajectory, travelling a further 390–660 km towards Siberia.”
But don’t worry, this news isn’t as alarming as it sounds. In fact, it is a natural process that is a result of the liquid metal that makes up the Earth’s core. The currents in this ocean of molten metal are dictated by the temperatures of the Earth (both inside the core and outside, on the surface), which – among other factors, including the solar winds that originate from the Sun – affect the Earth’s magnetic fields. Small alterations to the Earth’s magnetic field, driven by these natural processes, cause this movement in the Earth’s poles.
So if the poles are moving, and there is nothing we can do about it, will we notice any changes?
Well no, not really. Most people living their daily lives will not notice any changes – just think about it, have you noticed any changes while it has been moving during your lifetime? Probably not.
The only real problems related to the gradual movement of the poles are to do with satellites and navigation. As many digital maps and navigation systems are calibrated to the poles, they require updates as this alters over time. Similarly, changes need to be made to satellites that are using the Earth’s poles. This can also be a problem for animals – including birds and marine creatures like whales, who rely on navigation from the poles for their own migration patterns.
There are only two effects of gradual polar shift that might be perceptible to people in their everyday lives. Firstly, as the poles shift, the amounts of solar radiation that some parts of the world receive from space could increase. Given the health implications of extra solar radiation, this is something that people will have to be aware of. However, we’re talking over the course of hundreds of years: plenty of time to go buy a new bottle of sunblock.
The other change is to the Northern Lights. The beautiful, awe-inspiring sight of the Aurora Borealis is linked to the North Pole. In fact, it is caused by the North Pole, and is the effect of the Sun’s radiation bouncing off the Earth’s magnetic fields. Changes to the North Pole means that the Aurora Borealis (and its southern counterpart, the Aurora Australis) could become more commonly visible in other parts of the world. Sounds pretty nice, right?
The Earth’s poles flipping, on the other hand, is a whole other story. If this happened again – and scientists suggest that a pole flip might be overdue – with dramatic potential problems with GPS and other navigation systems, including technology as basic as compasses which would suddenly point the wrong way.
Sudden increased radiation may also damage our satellites and power grids, while the increased radiation on people may be more sudden and dramatic. This would ultimately lead to health challenges – and a whole lot of confusion.
So while there’s no need to worry about the gradual shift of the Earth’s poles, the moment they flip and north becomes south while south becomes north is a day you wouldn’t forget any time soon.
Fortunately, we don’t know if and when this is going to happen.
If you thought that was interesting, you might like to read about the mysterious “pyramids” discovered in Antarctica. What are they?