<
https://news.agu.org/press-release/weve-pumped-so-much-groundwater-that-weve-nudged-the-earths-spin/>
"WASHINGTON — By pumping water out of the ground and moving it elsewhere,
humans have shifted such a large mass of water that the Earth tilted nearly 80
centimeters (31.5 inches) east between 1993 and 2010 alone, according to a new
study published in
Geophysical Research Letters, AGU’s journal for
short-format, high-impact research with implications spanning the Earth and
space sciences.
Based on climate models, scientists previously estimated humans pumped 2,150
gigatons of groundwater, equivalent to more than 6 millimeters (0.24 inches) of
sea level rise, from 1993 to 2010. But validating that estimate is difficult.
One approach lies with the Earth’s rotational pole, which is the point around
which the planet rotates. It moves during a process called polar motion, which
is when the position of the Earth’s rotational pole varies relative to the
crust. The distribution of water on the planet affects how mass is distributed.
Like adding a tiny bit of weight to a spinning top, the Earth spins a little
differently as water is moved around.
“Earth’s rotational pole actually changes a lot,” said Ki-Weon Seo, a
geophysicist at Seoul National University who led the study. “Our study shows
that among climate-related causes, the redistribution of groundwater actually
has the largest impact on the drift of the rotational pole.”"
Via Christoph S.
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
