Scientists have warned that the ground rotation accelerates on Tuesday, August 5, resulting in one of the shortest days since measurements.
The planet rotates on Tuesday faster. Photo shutterstock
The change, determined by the gravitational attraction of the Moon, will cause the planet to rotate a little faster at the poles, reducing 1.25 milliseconds the usual 24 -hour day, writes the Daily Mail online.
Although the change is too small to be observed by people, experts have stated that long -term implications could be catastrophic.
Scientists warn that if the ground rotation continues to accelerate uncontrollably, this could trigger disastrous consequences throughout the globe.
The level of the seas could increase by several centimeters in the equatorial regions
The explanation is that as the planet rotates faster, the centrifugal force would begin to push the ocean water away from the poles and the equator.
Even a modest growth, only one kilometer per hour, could raise the level of the seas with a few centimeters in the equatorial regions, enough to flood the low coastal cities, already on the edge of the precipice.
In an extreme scenario, in which the Earth rotates 160 kilometers per hour faster, large areas around the equator could disappear under the growing waters, and the polar seas would move to the south.
Everyday life would become more and more difficult
Scientists also warn that for those who survive floods, daily life would become more and more hostile, as the balance of the planet changes, which makes this seemingly minor change than it seems.
A faster rotation would shorten the day and throw human biology into chaos.
The scenario that would make the Solar Day reduce to 22 hours
In the hypothetical situation in which the rotation of the Earth would continue to accelerate, the solar day could reduce to only 22 hours, disrupting the circadian rhythm, without time to adapt.
According to studies, even small changes, such as summer time, are related to increases in the number of heart attacks, strokes and road accidents. A permanent change would be all the more dangerous.
Dr. Sten Odenwald, NASA astronomer, also warned that the weather patterns will become more extreme.
“The hurricanes will rotate faster and transport more energy”, explained Dr. Odenwald.
The small deviations of the ground rotation are followed with the help of atomic clocks, which measure time by counting the oscillations of atoms in a empty room. These are the basis of the universal coordinated time (UTC), the world standard of measuring time.
When was the shortest day
In recent years, the land has registered an increasing number of “short days”.
In 2020, on July 19, the day was 1.47 milliseconds shorter than the average, and on June 30, 2022, the day was 1.59 milliseconds shorter.
The record was set right last year. On July 5, 2024, the Earth performed a complete rotation with 1.66 milliseconds faster than usual, being the shortest day since the introduction of atomic watches, in 1949.
Astrophysicist Graham Jones, from the University of London, discovered the change earlier this year, noting that the rotation of the Earth could accelerate significantly on July 9, July 22 and August 5.
Jones does not know the exact reason for acceleration, but studies what is happening inside the earth, including moving the melted layers of the core, ocean currents and high altitude winds, as they affect the rotation of the Earth.
