Dear MEL Topic Readers,
Humans pump so much groundwater that Earth’s axis has shifted, study finds
The Earth revolves around the Sun in a slightly tilted orbit. This earth’s axis tilt, which is approximately 23.5 degrees relative to its orbital plane, causes the seasons and the variation in daylight hours throughout the year. For example, when one hemisphere is tilted towards the Sun, it experiences summer, with longer days and more direct sunlight. At the same time, the other hemisphere is tilted away from the Sun, leading to winter, with shorter days and less direct sunlight. So, the axial tilt is responsible for the changing seasons and plays a crucial role in determining climate patterns on Earth, influencing temperature variations, weather patterns, and the distribution of sunlight across different regions throughout the year. And this earth’s rotational pole changes from time to time. A recent study found that the extraction of groundwater, whether for drinking, irrigation, or manufacturing, seems to have shifted the axis nearly 80 centimeters between 1993 and 2010. That figure alone might not be that significant but along with the weight shift caused by ice sheets melting and sea level rise, humans seem to have caused some impact on the earth’s axis tilt, which could affect global and regional climate and geological changes.
Enjoy reading the article and learning about how groundwater extraction affects the earth’s axis tilt.
https://edition.cnn.com/2023/06/26/world/pumping-groundwater-earth-axis-shifting-scn/index.html
Humans pump so much groundwater that Earth’s axis has shifted, study finds
The Earth revolves around the Sun in a slightly tilted orbit. This earth’s axis tilt, which is approximately 23.5 degrees relative to its orbital plane, causes the seasons and the variation in daylight hours throughout the year. For example, when one hemisphere is tilted towards the Sun, it experiences summer, with longer days and more direct sunlight. At the same time, the other hemisphere is tilted away from the Sun, leading to winter, with shorter days and less direct sunlight. So, the axial tilt is responsible for the changing seasons and plays a crucial role in determining climate patterns on Earth, influencing temperature variations, weather patterns, and the distribution of sunlight across different regions throughout the year. And this earth’s rotational pole changes from time to time. A recent study found that the extraction of groundwater, whether for drinking, irrigation, or manufacturing, seems to have shifted the axis nearly 80 centimeters between 1993 and 2010. That figure alone might not be that significant but along with the weight shift caused by ice sheets melting and sea level rise, humans seem to have caused some impact on the earth’s axis tilt, which could affect global and regional climate and geological changes.
Enjoy reading the article and learning about how groundwater extraction affects the earth’s axis tilt.
https://edition.cnn.com/2023/06/26/world/pumping-groundwater-earth-axis-shifting-scn/index.html
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