Unless you are one of those weird conspiracy people who fail to believe that Climate Change is a thing (yep, they really do walk amongst us), you know that melting ice, rising sea levels and an atmosphere filled with heat-trapping gases are affecting Earth’s properties but scientists have noticed something happening which has surprised even them.
Earth’s rotational speed, circling once every 24-hours has been slowing down for much of its history, lengthening the days ever so slightly, and scientists have long known that the loss of ice at Earth’s poles could contribute to this slowing as the the water moves toward the equator, bulking up the planet’s middle and changing the dynamics that keep the Earth going around.
Up to 1.0 millisecond has been added to each day in the 20th century but since 2000, NASA have noticed that the days have been lengthening at a much faster pace and: 'If emissions continue to rise the rate that days lengthen per century could nearly double by 2100'.
The extra water also has a detrimental effect on he Earth mantle as it is shifting the planet’s balance and the Earth's axis is wobbling eastward.
All of these planet-size tweaks have only small implications for the people living here at the moment and the only concern is for satellite operators having to make adjustments to keep them working properly
but Earth’s inhabitants will continue to feel the effects of climate change in much more horrible ways such as more intense weather patterns, fatal extreme heat and desertification as our Planet reacts to two centuries of humans carelessly burning fossil fuels.
Saturday 17 August 2024
Earth Slowing
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