Days are getting longer due to climate change, study says | Environment

Climate change is causing the day to get longer and shifting the Earth’s axis of rotation, according to two studies released on Monday (15). Both changes are caused by melting ice in Greenland and Antarctica.

It causes the melting of the polar ice caps. The planet rotates more slowly, making the days longer.Although this increase is small, it can interfere with Internet traffic, financial transactions, and GPS, which are processes that depend on precise timing.

This is according to a study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Excess water flows from Greenland and Antarctica toward the equatorial region, making the Earth flatter or fatter.The displacement of masses affects the rotation of the planet.

The process is similar to what happens when a skater makes a turn, with their arms first close to their body and then open, explains study co-author Benedikt Soja, from the Federal Institute of Technology Zurich (ETH). The initially fast turn becomes slower because The masses move away from the axis, increasing physical inertia.The slower rotation 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.

Climate change is Increase the length of the day by a few milliseconds from 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, however, since 2000, this increase has amounted to 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 the year 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.”

Although it is an imperceptible change to humans,There are many implications for space and terrestrial navigation.“It’s a very exciting time for us,” adds study co-author Surendra Adhikari, of NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory.

change in axis of rotation

A second study published in Nature Geoscience showed that changes in Earth’s surface and interior mass caused by melting ice also shift the Earth’s axis of rotation.

Although this axis changes only slowly, this change must be taken into account when traveling into space, for example, when sending a probe to another planet, which highlights Soga. A slight deviation of one centimeter on Earth can turn into a deviation of hundreds of meters over great distances.

Video showing details of the largest hole in the world formed as a result of melting ice: