Earth tilted 31.5 inches due to massive groundwater pumping
A recent study shows that global groundwater pumping has caused our planet to tilt 31.5 inches.
The California State Water Resources Control Board explains that groundwater pumping draws underground water into domestic, industrial, and agricultural areas.
Authors of the study published in the Geophysical Research Letters say it’s “like adding a tiny bit of weight to a spinning top.”
Article continues after this advertisementHow does groundwater pumping tilt the Earth?
Humans' rampant pumping of water from underground reservoirs has shifted Earth’s geographic North Pole by more than 4 centimetres per year.https://t.co/5Ebi8bnLMN
— nature (@Nature) June 19, 2023
Ki-Weon Seo, a Seoul National University geophysicist and the study’s lead, said in a statement:
“Our study shows that among climate-related causes, the redistribution of groundwater actually has the largest impact on the drift of the rotational pole.”
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Article continues after this advertisementSeo and his colleagues analyzed groundwater pumping data from 1993 to 2010. Consequently, they learned this activity shifted as much as 2,150 gigatons of water.
This massive diversion of groundwater caused a shift in the Earth’s tilt. After all, the Earth spins on an axis, much like a top balances on a needle.
Shifting a colossal amount of water makes the planet heavier on one side. Consequently, the Earth leans to one side by 31.5 inches.
It’s hard to comprehend such numbers, but they illustrate the impact of humanity’s water consumption.
More importantly, this discovery shows another consequence of worsening climate change. For example, Seo says it’s “another source of sea-level rise.”
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“I’m very glad to find the unexplained cause of the rotation pole drift. On the other hand, as a resident of Earth and a father, I’m concerned and surprised.”
Fortunately, this groundwater pumping study could improve people’s understanding of climate change so that humanity can find solutions.
“They’ve quantified the role of groundwater pumping on polar motion, and it’s pretty significant,” said Surendra Adhikari, a research scientist at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory.
Earth.com says collaboration among geophysicists, climate scientists, policy-makers, and the public could help develop more sustainable water management practices.
