Neither Ukrainian soldiers nor NATO: scientists warn that it is the North Pole that is hurtling towards Russia

Based on the most up-to-date models, the Magnetic North Pole (MNP) is continuing on its trajectory towards Russia. Not to be confused with the Geographic North Pole, sometimes called “True North,” which sits at the very northern tip of the Earth, the MPN is the location that compasses use as a guide for North.

The location is determined through the use of the World Magnetic Model (WMM), developed by the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the British Geographical Survey. The WWM is updated every five years, with the most recent release being in December 2024. This release tracked the MNP to Russian Arctic waters. These updates and their implications were initially reported on by the Huffington Post.

The MNP slows on its approach to Russia

Though the MNP had bounced between locations within Canadian territory, it changed trajectory in the early 1990s. Before, scientists estimated that the MNP was only moving a few kilometers a year. Dr. William Brown, a member of the research team and geomagnetic field modeller at BGS, said that the “current behaviour of magnetic north” had not been seen before.

“Magnetic north has been moving slowly around Canada since the 1500s,” explained Brown.

Then, around twenty years ago, Brown explained that the MNP began to move “towards Siberia, increasing in speed every year until about five years ago, when it suddenly decelerated from 50 to 35 km per year.”

In recent years, it has slowed to around 35 kilometers per year (21 miles) as it inches closer to Russia’s coast. Experts expect the MNP to continue on its current path, albeit at a slower pace, as it approaches Russia

At the current rate, the pole would take about 15 years to reach the Siberian coast, although scientists explain that this is subject to possible changes, like the one that occurred in 1990, which are unpredictable. Contrary to what one might believe, this does not mean that the geographic North Pole is moving, but rather the magnetic field is shifting, which should not be dangerous.

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