Last modified on Fri 23 Apr 2021 05.59 EDT
The massive melting of glaciers as a result of global heating has caused marked shifts in the Earthâs axis of rotation since the 1990s, research has shown. It demonstrates the profound impact humans are having on the planet, scientists said.
The planetâs geographic north and south poles are the point where its axis of rotation intersects the surface, but they are not fixed. Changes in how the Earthâs mass is distributed around the planet cause the axis, and therefore the poles, to move.
In the past, only natural factors such as ocean currents and the convection of hot rock in the deep Earth contributed to the drifting position of the poles. But the new research shows that since the 1990s, the loss of hundreds of billions of tonnes of ice a year into the oceans resulting from the climate crisis has caused the poles to move in new directions.
Melting Glaciers Can Even Shift Earth s Spin Axis, Says Study forbes.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from forbes.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Climate crisis has shifted the Earth’s axis, study shows Damian Carrington Environment editor
The massive melting of glaciers as a result of global heating has caused marked shifts in the Earth’s axis of rotation since the 1990s, research has shown. It demonstrates the profound impact humans are having on the planet, scientists said.
The planet’s geographic north and south poles are the point where its axis of rotation intersects the surface, but they are not fixed. Changes in how the Earth’s mass is distributed around the planet cause the axis, and therefore the poles, to move.
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IMAGE: Melting of glaciers in Alaska, Greenland, the Southern Andes, Antarctica, the Caucasus and the Middle East accelerated in the mid-90s, becoming the main driver pushing Earth s poles into a sudden. view more
Credit: Credit: Deng et al (2021) Geophysical Research Letters/AGU
WASHINGTON Glacial melting due to global warming is likely the cause of a shift in the movement of the poles that occurred in the 1990s.
The locations of the North and South poles aren t static, unchanging spots on our planet. The axis Earth spins around or more specifically the surface that invisible line emerges from is always moving due to processes scientists don t completely understand. The way water is distributed on Earth s surface is one factor that drives the drift.
Изменение климата - Глобальное потепление сместило движение земной оси zn.ua - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from zn.ua Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.