Melting ice caps slowing Earth’s spin, making days longer

A study published on Monday reveals that melting polar ice caps are slowing Earth’s rotation, increasing the length of days at an unprecedented rate. Water from Greenland and Antarctica is adding mass around the equator, similar to how a figure skater slows down when extending their arms. Earth’s shape, an “oblate spheroid,” constantly changes due to tides, tectonic drift, and seismic activities.

The research, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, used techniques like Very Long Baseline Interferometry and the Global Positioning System to measure Earth’s rotation with high precision.

Currently, the moon’s gravitational pull causes a gradual slowdown of 2.4 milliseconds per century. However, if greenhouse gas emissions continue at a high rate, the warming climate’s impact on Earth’s rotation will surpass the moon’s influence by the end of the 21st century. From 1900 to today, climate change has extended days by approximately 0.8 milliseconds, and this could increase to 2.2 milliseconds by 2100 under high emissions scenarios.

Although humans cannot perceive this change, it has significant implications for space and Earth navigation, where precise knowledge of Earth’s orientation is crucial.

Source – CGTN