The Earth’s axis moved by 80 cm

A recent South Korean study, published in the journal Geophysical Research Lettersreveals an unsuspected impact of human activity: the axis of rotation of the Earth has moved by 80 cm since 1899, a direct consequence of intensive extraction of .

Between 1993 and 2010, researchers at the University of Seoul used mathematical simulations based on environmental data to explain this phenomenon. Their conclusion is striking: the withdrawal of 2,150 gigatons of groundwater, redistributed on the earth’s surface, moved the axis of the planet by 4.63 cm per year on average.

“It’s like adding a small weight to a spinning top,” explain the scientists, comparing this disturbance to a kind of “global scoliosis”. When a significant amount of water is displaced from its natural reservoir, it changes the distribution of land mass and, therefore, the dynamics of its rotation.

The regions which have contributed the most to this imbalance are mainly located in the mid-latitudes, including the west of North America and the north-west of India which are major centers of this intensive exploitation.

This shift in the Earth’s axis also amplified the rise in sea levels, adding approximately 6.24 mm to global sea rise. This repercussion adds to the many environmental challenges already posed by climate change, accentuating the urgency of more sustainable management of water resources.