Melting Ice Impacts Earth’s Rotation, Study Finds – MonitorExpresso.com

World. – A recent study by the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich (ETH), in collaboration with NASA, has offered new insights into how climate change is affecting the Earth’s rotation. The research reveals that melting ice in Greenland and Antarctica is causing a slowdown in the planet’s rotation. According to scientists, the melting of the ice sheets causes water to move towards the equatorial region. This change in the distribution of the Earth’s mass alters its rotation. Benedikt Soja, a professor at ETH Zurich, explains that this phenomenon is comparable to the behaviour of a figure skater: “When a skater does a pirouette, he spins faster with his arms close to his body and slows down when stretched out. Similarly, the Earth rotates more slowly as the ice masses move away from the axis of rotation, increasing physical inertia.” As a result, the days on Earth are experiencing a slight lengthening, adding up to a few milliseconds. However, the study warns that if greenhouse gas emissions continue to rise, the impact on the Earth’s rotation could be more pronounced. In addition, research published in Nature Geoscience highlights that melting not only alters the rotation speed, but also modifies the planet’s rotation axis.

Original source in Spanish