Earth Has Tilted 31.5 Inches. That Shouldn't Happen.
- Author: Tim Newcomb
- Full Title: Earth Has Tilted 31.5 Inches. That Shouldn't Happen.
- Category: articles
- URL: https://www.popularmechanics.com/science/environment/a62995913/why-has-earth-tilted/?utm_source=reddit.com
Highlights
- Water has power. So much power, in fact, that pumping Earth’s groundwater can change the planet’s tilt and rotation. It can also impact sea-level rise and other consequences of climate change. (View Highlight)
- Pumping groundwater appears to have a greater consequence than ever previously thought. But now—thanks to a study published in the journal *Geophysical Research Letters—*we can see that, in less than two decades, Earth has tilted 31.5 inches as a result of pumping groundwater. This equates to .24 inches of sea level rise. (View Highlight)
- Like adding a tiny bit of weight to a spinning top,” authors say, “the Earth spins a little differently as water is moved around.” (View Highlight)
- Where the water moves from—and to—matters. Redistributing water from the midlatitudes makes the biggest difference, so our intense water movement from both western North America and northwestern India have played a key role in the tilt changes. (View Highlight)