Groundwater depletion causes Earth's shift on axis: Study
A recent study published in Geophysical Research Letters reveals that human activities are causing the Earth to shift on its axis, reports The Hill.
The study found that the depletion of groundwater, primarily due to dam construction, groundwater drilling, and the burning of fossil fuels, has led to a detectable wobbling of the planet.
"Between 1993 and 2010, the scientists found, human society — and mostly human agriculture — had depleted 2,510 gigatons of water," the report cites the findings in the study.
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That speed of depletion reflects a global threat.
"Some countries, such as the USA, Mexico, Iran and China, are particularly exposed to these risks because they both produce and import food irrigated from rapidly depleting aquifers," according to a Nature journal study.
The report says that this month's study suggests that local agricultural policies are causing planetary-scale perturbations.
Through advancements in technologies like GPS, scientists have been able to track the Earth's movements with millimetre-level accuracy.
"That precision is so exact that it allowed researchers to confirm that North America and Europe are moving apart at a rate of 3 millimetres per year," said Clark Wilson of the University of Texas, a co-author on the paper.
Although the magnitude of the wobble is slight, measuring in millimetres, it highlights the significant impact of human actions on the Earth's position.
"The mass construction of dams worldwide — with their heavy, crust-displacing reservoirs — had pulled the Earth slightly west, and the loss of groundwater had pulled it east," Wilson added.
As temperatures continue to rise and the Greenland ice sheet melts at an accelerated pace, there is a possibility that coastal wobbling could increase.
The study suggests that the history of Earth's water distribution and climate may be reflected in the pole's drift, emphasising the importance of studying these phenomena for a comprehensive understanding of our planet's dynamics.
