The earth’s axis tilted 80 centimeters to the east, according to a study published by Geophysical Research Letters, writes USA Today.
The earth’s axis tilted/PHOTO: NASA
However, this inclination is not caused by a phenomenon from space, but by man. According to the study, humans pump and move huge amounts of groundwater across the planet and redistribute it.
“Our study shows that among climate-related causes, groundwater redistribution actually has the greatest impact on pole driftKi-Weon Seo, the geophysicist at Seoul National University who led the study, said in a statement.
So from 1993 to 2010, Earth’s axis is supposed to have tilted 31.5 inches (80 centimeters) to the east.
When Earth was just a “young” planet, a giant, Mars-sized object, also known as “Theia,” slammed into it, according to NASA. Therefore, the North and South Poles will never be perfectly straight and will always be on an axis. It is also believed that this impact is what led to the creation of the Moon.
The tilt of the axis is the reason we have seasons, the space administration explains.
“Throughout the year, different parts of the Earth receive the most rays of the Sun. So when the North Pole tilts towards the Sun, it is summer in the Northern Hemisphere. And when the South Pole tilts toward the Sun, it’s winter in the Northern Hemisphere“, it says on the NASA website
Also, the tilt of the axis is also the reason why the two hemispheres will never have the same temperatures. This means that when it’s summer in Australia, it’s winter in the US.
Scientists have shown that 2,150 gigatons of groundwater have been pumped and redistributed. According to the Huff Post, if the entire population sat on a scale, the weight would be 286.612 billion kilograms, while all the water transported is worth 997.700 billion.
In the study, “the researchers modeled the observed changes in the drift of the Earth’s rotation pole and the movement of water“, the press release states. “First, considering only ice sheets and glaciers, then adding different groundwater redistribution scenarios“.
The model reflected what was happening to Earth’s tilt when the researchers considered only groundwater redistribution, according to the press release. Without these calculations, the model’s pitch was reduced by 78 inches.
In the 17 years that were analyzed, the researchers found that the tilt shifted by 43 centimeters each year.
It wasn’t until 2016 that researchers discovered water’s ability to change the planet’s rotation, according to the press release. Adhikari is the researcher who published the study on how the distribution of water affected the Earth.
However, exactly how groundwater affected the planet was not explored until this study began.
“I am very glad to find the unexplained cause of the pole shift,” Seo said in a statement. “On the other hand, as an Earthling and father, I am concerned and surprised to see groundwater pumping as another source of sea level rise.“
