Earth's magnetic change?

Swarm constellation of satellites of the European Space Agency, which identify and measure the different magnetic signals that constitute Earth’s magnetic field, is studying the development of South Atlantic Anomaly. The challenge that lies ahead is to study the reason behind the change.

A team from Leeds University said the drift of the North Pole is explained by the competition of two magnetic "blobs" on the edge of the Earth's outer core. Changes in the flow of molten material in the Earth’s interior have changed the strength of the negative magnetic flux.

"This change in the pattern of flow has weakened the patch under Canada and ever so slightly increased the strength of the patch under Siberia… This is why the North Pole has left its historic position over the Canadian Arctic and crossed over the International Date Line. Northern Russia is winning the 'tug of war', if you like," Dr Phil Livermore told BBC News.

Another possible reason, as per the ESA, could be that the Earth’s magnetic field is reversing i.e. the North and the South Poles may be switching. Such geomagnetic reversals happen roughly every 2,50,000 years and given the last one took place 7,80,000 years ago, it was long overdue.

However, a study published in the scientific journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences in 2018 found that despite the weakening field, "Earth's magnetic field is probably not reversing". Given that the reversal of a magnetic field takes tens of thousands of years of occurring, the exact cause for the weakening of the geomagnetic field is for now another of Earth’s mysteries yet to be ascertained.