The Earth is tilted 31.5 inches
A new study has revealed an unexpected impact of human activity: the Tilt of the Earth has shifted past 31.5 inches (0.8 meters) in less than 20 years. But why? The study, published in Geophysical research lettershighlights how massive groundwater pumping redistributes water and affects Earth’s rotation, with significant consequences for both climate change and planetary mechanics.
According to an article published in Geophysical Research Letters, scientists have linked the seemingly harmless activity of groundwater extraction to Earth’s rotational drift. A study led by geophysicist Ki-Weon Seo of Seoul National University reveals how human actions are changing the planet’s mechanics in previously unimaginable ways.
“Earth’s rotation pole is actually changing a lot,” said Seo, quoted by Daily Galaxy, but their findings show something much more disturbing: “Groundwater redistribution has the largest impact on this drift among all climate-related causes.”
For example, consider the Earth as a spinning top, with the weight shifting halfway through the rotation. The result would be a wobble or tilt – exactly what happens to our planet when we remove and redistribute water across its surface.
In less than two decades, humanity’s demand for water has added 0.61 meters to global sea level by transporting groundwater to the oceans. While this may seem small, when combined with other climate-related changes such as melting ice caps, it is accelerating sea level rise more than expected.
According to the report, regions such as western North America and northwestern India are mainly responsible for this shift. “Like adding a little bit of weight to a spinning top, the Earth spins a little differently when water is displaced,” said the study, quoted by Daily Galaxy.