Days are getting longer due to climate change, study says

The process is similar to what happens when a skater performs a spin, with their arms first close to their body and then open, explains study co-author Benedikt Soja, from the Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich (ETH). The initially fast rotation becomes slower as the masses move away from the axis, increasing the body’s inertia. The slower rotation speed of the Earth causes the days to become longer.

Over the millennia, the length of the day has gradually increased by a few milliseconds (milliseconds) per century, largely due to the moon’s gravity, which slows the Earth’s rotation. However, the melting of the ice caps has led to this increase since 1900, according to the study.

longer days

Climate change is increasing the length of the day by a few milliseconds compared to the current 86,400 seconds. Fluctuations in sea level caused the length of the day to vary between 0.3 and 1 millisecond during the 20th century, but since 2000, this increase has reached 1.3 milliseconds. The researchers highlighted that “the current rate is the highest in the past few thousand years,” adding that it should remain at this level even with significant reductions in greenhouse gas emissions.

The study also suggests that if greenhouse gas emissions continue to rise, this slowdown rate could reach 2.6 milliseconds by 2100.

“Humans have a greater impact on the planet than we think,” Suga highlights, “and this naturally places a great responsibility on us for the future of the planet.”