Climate Change Lengthens Earth’s Days by 1.33 Milliseconds Per Century as Polar Ice Melt Slows Spin
Updated
Updated · CBC Sports · Jul 29
Climate Change Lengthens Earth’s Days by 1.33 Milliseconds Per Century as Polar Ice Melt Slows Spin
3 articles · Updated · CBC Sports · Jul 29
Summary
A new study found human-driven climate change is extending the length of a day by 1.33 milliseconds per century by slowing Earth’s rotation.
Melting ice at the poles shifts water toward the equator, moving mass farther from Earth’s axis and creating a drag effect similar to a skater extending their arms.
2.4 milliseconds per century from lunar tides still exceeds the climate effect today, but researchers say climate change will overtake the moon by the end of this century as the biggest brake on Earth’s spin.
Millisecond-scale shifts still matter for GPS, satellites and deep-space missions, where timing errors can translate into navigation mistakes or spacecraft landing hundreds of metres off target.
Researchers called the finding the fastest climate-driven increase in day length in 3.6 million years, underscoring how fossil-fuel warming is now altering even Earth’s rotation.