Runways at a Florida airport are to be given brand new numbers, but not for cosmetic reasons – the changes are thanks to movement in the Earth’s magnetic field.
Changes in our planet’s core are causing the north magnetic pole to speed towards Russia at nearly 40 miles a year.
But the affects of the magnetic shift are being felt over 3,500 miles south of the Arctic – at Tampa International Airport.
The Sunshine State hub has been forced to shut down its primary runway until next week so that numeric designators at the end of runways and taxiway signage can be altered to account for the magnetic pole’s movement.
‘The magnetic poles actually shift, they are constantly in movement and when pilots align themselves with the runway they align their compass to the runway so they have to match,’ said Tampa International Airport Director of Operations Robert Burr.
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