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Magnetic Declination

Magnetic Declination

Magnetic declination is the angle between true north, which aligns with the Earth's rotational axis, and magnetic north, which follows the direction of the Earth's magnetic field. This discrepancy exists because the magnetic poles do not coincide with the geographic poles. The value of magnetic declination depends on the observer's location on Earth and is subject to changes over time due to the dynamic nature of the Earth's magnetic field.The declination is called eastern when magnetic north...

Adjusting a Traverse

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In the site survey of a four-sided traverse, internal angles are essential to ensure geometric accuracy. The survey revealed that the sum of the measured internal angles was 359 degrees and 48 minutes, which is 12 minutes less than the expected 360 degrees. This discrepancy signals an error likely arising from measurement inaccuracies during the fieldwork.To rectify this error, the adjustment process involved distributing the 12-minute shortfall equally across the four internal angles. By...

Meridians

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In surveying, meridians are vital reference lines to measure directions and establish accurate land orientations. Meridians run from the north to the south poles, providing a stable framework for angular measurements and mapping. Meridians are fundamental in survey design, with the primary types being astronomic, magnetic, and assumed meridians. Each type offers distinct benefits and limitations, selected based on the project's scale and precision needs.The astronomic meridian is aligned with...

Local Attraction

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Local attraction refers to disturbances in compass readings caused by magnetic influences from nearby objects such as metal fences, buried pipes, vehicles, buildings, power lines, or natural iron ore deposits. Small items like wristwatches, steel tools, or belt buckles can also interfere with the compass by creating local magnetic fields that distort the Earth's natural magnetic field. These distortions lead to inaccurate readings, posing navigation and land surveying challenges.Local...

Compass

Compass

The compass is a fundamental instrument that operates by aligning its magnetic needle with Earth's magnetic field. This alignment facilitates navigation and orientation, offering a means to determine direction relative to magnetic north. However, the magnetic needle points to magnetic north, which differs slightly from true geographic north due to magnetic declination, which is the angular deviation between these two points. Declination varies based on geographic location and shifts over time...

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Azimuths and bearings are essential concepts in surveying, providing methods to express the direction of a line relative to a meridian. Azimuths refer to the clockwise angle measured from the north end of a reference meridian to the given line, ranging from zero to 360 degrees. This method gives a comprehensive directional reference within a full 360-degree circle, making it a straightforward way to communicate direction in various fields, including navigation, cartography, and...

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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Nov 22, 2025

Remote Magnetic Navigation for Accurate, Real-time Catheter Positioning and Ablation in Cardiac Electrophysiology Procedures

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Published on: April 21, 2013

Long-distance transequatorial navigation using sequential measurements of magnetic inclination angle.

Brian K Taylor¹, Kenneth J Lohmann¹, Luke T Havens¹

¹Department of Biology, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA.

Journal of the Royal Society, Interface

|January 6, 2021

Summary

Sequential magnetic inclination measurements enable transequatorial animal migration and support navigation in reversed magnetic fields. This finding has implications for bio-inspired autonomous systems navigating Earth’s changing magnetic field.

Keywords:

animal magnetic reception inclination compass magnetic reception magnetoreception navigation sequential measurements

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Area of Science:

Animal navigation
Bio-inspired engineering
Geophysics

Background:

Diverse taxa navigate using Earth's magnetic field for migration.
Animals utilize magnetic inclination as a compass and latitude surrogate.
The role of magnetic inclination in long-distance migration remains unclear.

Purpose of the Study:

Investigate if sequential magnetic inclination measurements can guide transequatorial migrations.
Assess navigation strategies in present-day and reversed magnetic fields using an agent-based model.

Main Methods:

Agent-based modeling simulating migration.
Testing navigation strategies with sequential inclination data.
Simulations in both current and reversed geomagnetic fields.

Main Results:

Sequential inclination measurements successfully enabled transequatorial migrations.
Inclination-based navigation strategies proved robust in reversed magnetic fields.
Findings align with some animal navigation experiment results.

Conclusions:

Sequential magnetic inclination data can facilitate migration between hemispheres.
Inclination-based navigation is resilient to magnetic field reversals.
This strategy could inform the design of robust autonomous navigation systems.