North Pole tracking on ice because of government shutdown

The North Pole is gradually shifting, and the model used to keep track is not updating because of the government shutdown.

Nature reports the Earth's magnetic pole is slowly moving from Canada toward Siberia because of liquid iron moving inside the planet's core.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the British Geological Survey both manage the World Magnetic Model, which is used to follow the North Pole's shift, says Nature.

However, instead of seeing updates, users get a message from NOAA that the site is down.

"The website you are trying to access is not available at this time due to a lapse in appropriation," reads the message.

Nature reports the next update had been scheduled for Jan. 15, but was pushed to Jan. 30 because of the shutdown.

The World Magnetic model is used for navigation systems by  Britain's Ministry of Defense , the U.S. Defense Department, NATO, and even civilian systems, according to the British Geological Survey. 

Last week, Reuters reported shifts in the North Pole were happening frequently enough that researchers had to make an unprecedented early update. The model — adjusted every five years — was originally scheduled for update in 2020, said the report. 

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