San Diego, California – A recent study has revealed a connection between global warming and the Earth’s rotation. The melting of polar ice, largely attributed to human-caused climate change, has been found to impact the planet’s spin, potentially altering how time is measured.
The study, led by Duncan Agnew, a geophysicist at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography at the University of California San Diego, explains how the melting ice at the poles changes the distribution of Earth’s mass, consequently affecting its angular velocity. This phenomenon can be likened to a figure skater adjusting their posture while twirling on ice.
As ice melts, water once frozen in Antarctica and Greenland shifts towards the equator, resulting in an increase in mass around Earth’s waist. This shift in mass has been shown to disrupt a long-held assumption that Earth’s rotation is a constant force beyond human influence.
Agnew’s study, published in the journal Nature, suggests that climate change is playing a significant role in altering the Earth’s rotation, countering a previously observed trend of the planet spinning faster. This shift has led to discussions among scientists about potentially subtracting a “negative leap second” from clocks worldwide by 2026, although the melting of polar ice has delayed this adjustment by approximately three years.
The ongoing debate around leap second adjustments highlights the intricate relationship between Earth’s rotation and external factors such as climate change. While factors like ocean tides and the Earth’s crust have historically influenced the planet’s spin, the study emphasizes the growing impact of human activity on this fundamental aspect of Earth’s dynamics.
Looking ahead, researchers anticipate that as climate change progresses, the effects of ice melt on Earth’s rotation will become more pronounced. This underscores the importance of understanding the broader implications of climate change, both in terms of timekeeping and the planet’s overall ecosystem.