Scientists say the magnetic north pole is moving toward Russia and the fallout has reached — of all places — Tampa International Airport, reports Tampa Bay Online.
The airport has closed its primary runway until Jan. 13 to repaint the numeric designators at each end and change taxiway signage to account for the shift in location of the Earth’s magnetic north pole, according to TBO.com.
The Federal Aviation Administration required the runway designation change to account for what a National Geographic News report described as a gradual shift of the Earth’s magnetic pole at nearly 40 miles a year toward Russia because of magnetic changes in the core of the planet, according to TBO.com.
The busiest runway, 18R/36 — indicating its alignment along the 180-degree approach from the north and the 360-degree approach from the south — will now be called 19R/1L on aviation charts, reports TBO.com.
Photo: Tampa International Airport
