Scientists find climate change disrupting time more than previously thought
Earth's rotation, which determines the length of each day, is being altered by the impacts of human-induced climate change, a new study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences has revealed. The research suggests that polar ice melt caused by global warming is changing the planet's rotation and increasing the duration of each day, a trend expected to accelerate over the coming century as humans persist in emitting greenhouse gases, according to a report from CNN.
Although the changes are minute, measured in milliseconds per day, they have significant implications for our technology-dependent world, particularly for computing systems like GPS. This phenomenon underscores the profound influence humans are exerting on the planet. «This is a testament to the gravity of ongoing climate change,» said Surendra Adhikari, a geophysicist at Nasa's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, and a report author.
The Earth's rotation speed, which determines the number of hours, minutes, and seconds in a day, is influenced by a complex interplay of factors, including processes in the planet's fluid core, the lingering effects of glacial melt since the last ice age, and the melting of polar ice due to climate change.
Historically, the moon's influence has been the dominant factor, lengthening the day by a few milliseconds per century through its gravitational pull on the Earth's oceans.
However, the new research indicates that the impact of climate change on the length of the day may be more significant than previously
