Humans tilted the Earth 80cm in just two decades?

Is water really so powerful that pumping groundwater can change the tilt and rotation of the Earth?

In less than two decades, the Earth has tilted 80cm due to groundwater pumping - Photo: FREEPIK

According to science and technology magazine Popular Mechanics , groundwater pumping appears to have much more serious consequences than previously thought.

A study published in the journal Geophysical Research Letters found that in less than two decades, the Earth has tilted 80cm due to groundwater pumping.

“The Earth's rotation poles really change a lot,” said Ki Weon Seo, a geophysicist at Seoul National University and lead author of the study.

"The study found that among climate-related causes, groundwater redistribution actually has the largest impact on Earth's rotational pole drift."

As the Earth rotates on its axis, the distribution of water on the planet will affect the distribution of mass. “Like adding a little weight to a spinning top,” the authors say, “the Earth will spin slightly differently as the water is moved around.”

Research published by NASA in 2016 warned that water distribution could alter the Earth's rotation. The study, published in Geophysical Research Letters, attempts to put some numbers on that claim.

“I am very happy to find the unexplained cause of the pole drift phenomenon,” Seo said.

“But on the other hand, as a resident of Earth and a father, I am concerned and surprised to see that groundwater pumping is another source of sea level rise.”

The study covered data from 1993 to 2010, and found that pumping up to 2,150 gigatonnes of groundwater (equivalent to about 2,150 quadrillion litres) caused a change in the Earth's tilt of about 80c m.

Pumping is primarily for irrigation and human use, and that groundwater eventually flows into the ocean.

Surendra Adhikari, a research scientist at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory who was involved in the 2016 study, said the additional research is important.

“They quantified the role of groundwater pumping on polar movement,” he said in a press release, “and it was actually quite significant.”

Where the water comes from and where it goes is also important. Redistribution of water from the mid-latitudes makes the biggest difference. Thus, the strong movement of water from both western North America and northwestern India has played a key role in the tilt changes.

Now that the impacts of water migration have been known for only a short and relatively recent period of time, digging into historical data can help reveal trends and provide deeper insights into the effects of groundwater migration.

“Looking at the Earth’s rotational poles changing is useful,” Seo says, “to understand water storage fluctuations at the continental scale.” The data could also help conservationists understand how to work to prevent further sea level rise and other climate problems.

DAWN

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/con-nguoi-lam-trai-dat-nghieng-80-cm-chi-trong-hai-thap-ky-20250727125329212.htm