Human activity continues to cause harm to the planet. According to a new South Korean study published in the journal Geophysical Research Lettersthe Earth's axis of rotation has moved 80 cm in just twenty years, reports Popular Mechanics.
Researchers have been observing the Earth's axis since 1899. This is how, and through the observation of the surrounding constellations, that the authors of the study realized that it was now “off-axis”. As the stars are no longer in the same place in the sky, scientists have wondered what could cause these changes.
2,150 gigatons of water displaced
To obtain an answer, researchers from the University of Seoul carried out mathematical simulations with different data over the period 1993-2010. Conclusion: the change in the Earth's axis would be due to the displacement of 2,150 gigatons of groundwater, modifying the axis of our planet by 4.63 cm per year.
“It’s like adding a tiny weight to a spinning top,” explain the researchers in the study, cited by Coreycomparing this modification to “planetary scoliosis”. “The Earth rotates a little differently when water is moved. »
The places where water extraction had the most influence have even been identified. They are located in mid-latitudes, such as western North America and northwest India. The change in the Earth's axis would itself have had repercussions, including a rise in sea levels of 6.24 mm.
