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.
Excerpt ~ The latest changes are the most dramatic in a century - the pole had been begun moving to the northeast at about 9 miles per year in 1904 but since 2007 has been racing towards Siberia by at least 35 miles each year. ~ End Excerpt
But the affects of the magnetic shift are being felt over 3,500 miles south of the Arctic - at Tampa International Airport. 
Magnetic makeover: Thanks to gradual shifting of the Earth's magnetic field, Tampa International Airport has to renumber its runway, with '19R' and '19L' taking over from '18R' and '18L' to reflect the magnetic shift
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. 'So as the poles have shifted, the compass has shifted, so we have to make sure the runways are consistent with the compass for the aircraft.' The location of the magnetic north pole, most recently recorded at Ellesmere Island in northern Canada, remains a vital fact for compass users, even though satellite-powered global positioning systems have become commonplace.
The magnetic shift may sound dramatic but its slow pace - and the comparative strength of the Earth's magnetic field - means people have little to fear.
A complete inversion of the magnetic poles would have a greater impact, though its effects would primarily be limited to the animal kingdom, with birds choosing to fly south for the summer and north for the winter, and herding creatures confused over the ideal habitat.
Global impact: The movement of the north magnetic pole, currently at Ellesmere Island, means a cosmetic change for Tampa airport, 3658 miles to the south
While most of us would be entirely unaware of the movement of the north magnetic pole, Tampa residents will feel its effects first-hand, as the airport changes will lead to more noise pollution. Tampa's busiest runway, the west parallel, is to be shut down for week, resulting in increased traffic on the east parallel runway and more noise for South Tampa residential areas.
The repainted numbers will not seem especially different to airport passengers but will provide vital navigational information for incoming and outgoing aircraft.
The west parallel is to be re-designated 19R/1L on aviation chart, from its current designation of 18R/36L.
Its previous name indicated its alignment along a 180-degree approach from the north and the 360-degree approach from the south, with the '18' indicating it ran 180 degrees from north.
The change to a '19' means the west parallel runway is now leaning slightly to the west.
The airport's east parallel runway and its rarely-used east-west runway will also be closed later this month to alter their signage to their magnetically-changed designations.
The movement of the Earth's north magnetic pole towards Siberia are caused by rapid changes in the magnetism of the planet's core.
The latest changes are the most dramatic in a century - the pole had been begun moving to the northeast at about 9 miles per year in 1904 but since 2007 has been racing towards Siberia by at least 35 miles each year.
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-1344899/Shift-magnetic-north-pole-affects--Tampa-airport.html#ixzz1AaoZZdJR
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