Scientists Warn of Unprecedented Changes to Earth’s Rotation

Every day, Earth takes slightly longer to rotate. This change is measured in fractions of a millisecond, but the forces causing it are enormous. A new study shows that the rate of this lengthening is “unprecedented” in the last 3.6 million years.

The study reveals that as polar ice sheets and glaciers melt due to climate change, the water moves from the poles to the oceans, shifting mass towards the equator. This movement slows down the Earth’s spin, similar to how a figure skater slows down when they stretch their arms.

Previous studies showed that climate change affects our planet’s spin. Researchers from the University of Vienna and ETH Zurich examined geological records to see if such changes happened before. They found no similar occurrences in history.

The length of a day has always changed due to various forces, like the Moon’s gravity and the Earth’s atmosphere. Climate change now stands as a major factor in this mix. To study past conditions, scientists used fossil remains from marine organisms to track sea-level shifts and Earth’s rotation over millions of years.

Today, the change in day length is about 1.33 milliseconds per century. While this seems small, it requires a huge movement of mass, around 1,000 gigatonnes, shifting from the poles to oceans. If high emissions continue, climate change may exceed the Moon’s gravitational influence, affecting navigation systems on Earth and in space.

How much do you know?

What is the current change in day length measured as?

1 millisecond per century

1.33 milliseconds per century

2 milliseconds per century

3.6 milliseconds per century

What do researchers attribute the lengthening of Earth's rotation to?

The Moon's gravity

Climate change

Ocean tides

Plate tectonics

Where were the researchers from that conducted the study on Earth's rotation?

University of Cambridge and MIT

University of Vienna and ETH Zurich

Stanford University and Harvard

University of Tokyo and Oxford

What is the term used to describe the shift of water from the poles to the oceans?

Global warming

Climate migration

Mass movement

Sea-level rise

How long has the Earth been experiencing unprecedented change in its rotation according to the study?

1.3 million years

3.6 million years

5 million years

10 million years

What major factor now affects the change in day length?

Earth's atmosphere

The Moon's gravity

Climate change

Solar flares

The change in Earth's rotation is caused solely by the Moon's gravity.

True False

Researchers discovered similar occurrences of day length change in history.

True False

Melting polar ice sheets contribute to the slowing of Earth's spin.

True False

The change in day length is currently about 1.33 seconds per century.

True False

Scientists used fossil remains to study past conditions impacting Earth's rotation.

True False

If high emissions continue, climate change may alter navigation systems on Earth.

True False

According to the study, the rate of lengthening is unprecedented in the last million years.

Today, the change in day length is about 1.33 milliseconds per

The water moves from the poles to the oceans, shifting mass towards the

Previous studies indicated that climate change our planet's spin.

To study past conditions, researchers examined fossil remains from organisms.

If emissions continue to increase, climate change may exceed the Moon’s gravitational

This question is required