The Earth is Tilting?
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Ki-Weon Seo, Dongryeol Ryu, Jooyoung Eom, Taewhan Jeon, Jae-Seung Kim, Kookhyoun Youm, Jianli Chen, Clark R. Wilson
Earth Has Tilted 31.5 Inches. That Shouldn’t Happen.
Tim Newcomb
Researchers say the earth has tilted 31.5 inches in the last 20 years
I had no idea that the earths rotational pole was actually tilting!
In 2016, NASA reported that the distribution of water can actually change the earth’s rotation.
The earth moves on a rotational pole and the distribution of water impacts the distribution of mass. For that reason, the earth spins differently as water is moved around the globe.
The example the authors used is a spinning top. Imagine adding a tiny bit of weight, it would spin different! In the same way, the earth spins differently as water is moved around.
Scientists in this study observed the movement of water around the world and the drift of the earths rotational pole.
Among climate related issues, researchers say the redistribution of ground water has the biggest impact on the drift of the rotational pole in comparison to the melting of polar ice sheets and mountain glaciers.
Groundwater pumping is largely for irrigation and human use, and this water eventually relocates to the oceans.
Between 1993 and 2010, this study reported 2,150 gigatons of pumped groundwater and this is what researchers are suggesting caused the approximately 31.5 inch tilt, in the earths rotational pole and a 24 inch rise in sea level.
1 Gigaton = 1,000,000,000 metric tons
1 metric tons = 1000 kilograms
1000 kilograms = 2,205 lbs
Where the water comes from and where it goes is important. Redistribution at the midlatitudes is what they say makes the biggest difference on the tilt of the earths rotational pole.
This means groundwater pumping in Western North America and Northwestern India would play a key role in tilt changes.
This study confirmed for the researchers that groundwater depletion is a major source of GMSL (global mean sea level) rise over the past decade.
Digging through historical data may show trends over time and provide greater understanding of groundwater movement effects.
This may help conservationists understand how to delay continued sea level rise.
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