Why you should care about the Earth's shifting magnetic pole

The planet's magnetic north pole is migrating. Since the mid-1990s, it's wobbled away from the Canadian Arctic and toward Siberia — which can have an effect on everything from shipping routes to the GPS in your phone.

Why does the core drift in the first place? Why is it moving at a faster rate today than it has in the past? And what happens if it keeps moving?

Guest host Tiffany Hanssen spoke to a scientist who's helping to draw up new geomagnetic maps, five years ahead of schedule.

Guest:

Brian Meyer— Geomagnetic data manager at NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information

To listen to the full conversation you can use the audio player above.