06/02/2019 - Geography ( Magnetism)

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KEY POINTS

Geographic poles

·        The geographic poles are defined by the axis around which the planet rotates, and are fixed. 

·        The Geographic North Pole is located in the middle of the Arctic Ocean while the Geographic South Pole lies on a continental land mass known as Antarctica. 

Magnetic Poles

·        Magnetic north is determined by the direction a compass points and is not static.

·        The Magnetic North Pole is a point on Ellesmere Island in Northern Canada where the northern lines of attraction enter the Earth.

·        The South Magnetic Pole is constantly shifting due to changes in the Earth's magnetic field. it off the coast of Antarctica, between Adélie Land and Wilkes Land.

Reasons behind the phenomena

·        The movement of liquid iron and other metals in the outer core of the Earth is known to influence the magnetic field, but this movement is chaotic and turbulent.

·        It can also be attributed to the Earth’s spin as the intensity of the magnetic fields are rapid and changing continuously across the earth.

Consequences

·        The entire transportation sector, especially aviation and shipping, depends on correctly knowing the position of magnetic north to chart out their navigation paths. This will get distrupted

·        Similarly, it is crucial for militaries, who need to know this for firing their missiles or for other purposes. Knowing the magnetic north is vital for a number of civilian applications as well.

·        Great impact on Bird’s migration as birds uses the earth’smagnetic field to travel huge distances.

·        The compasses that are used in modern instrumentation are much more sophisticated, digital and more accurate. This is the reason why they need to be recalibrated to reflect the change in the magnetic north pole so requires corresponding updation.

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