Irrigation may be shifting Earth’s axis of rotation

In recent years, excessive extraction of groundwater by humans has had a significant impact on Earth’s rotation, causing the pole to shift at a rate of 4.36 centimeters per year between 1993 and 2010. HE Earth tilted eastward about 80 centimeters As a result of these changes.

A study published in Geophysical Research Letters reveals that a major anthropogenic factor contributing to this phenomenon is groundwater depletion due to irrigation that causes sea level rise.

According to the study, “During 1993-2010, the Earth’s pole shifted 64.16 degrees East, moving at a rate of 4.36 centimeters per year due to the depletion of groundwater and subsequent sea level rise”.

An international team of researchers estimates that humans have removed about 2,150 gigatons of groundwater, the equivalent of raising sea level by more than 0.24 inches.

Consider the Earth’s rotation pole. This is the point at which our planet revolves and experiences small movements over time known as polar motion.

Essentially, the position of the Earth’s pole of rotation varies with its outer layer, or crust. The distribution of water on our planet plays a very important role in mass distribution. Likewise, the movement of water on the Earth’s surface can cause subtle changes in the rotation of our planet.

The article explains: “As the model predicts the redistribution of water from aquifers to the oceans, our planet’s pole of rotation would shift about 78.48 cm toward 64.16° E“.

“The spin pole undergoes significant changes, and our research highlights that of all climate-related factors, groundwater redistribution has the largest impact on spin pole shift,” said Ki-Weon Seo, a geophysicist at Seoul National University who led the study, in a press release. “

While slight polar shifts may not have immediate effects on the seasons, the researchers warn that over longer geological time scales it could affect climate.