Melting Ice Caps and Earth's Changing Rotation: The Surprising Reasons Behind Longer Days

Zurich, Switzerland, Canton of Zurich, Switzerland Switzerland
By 2100, melting ice could lengthen days to 2.62 milliseconds per century if greenhouse gas emissions are not reduced.
Earth's days are getting slightly longer due to melting ice caps and the Earth's changing rotation.
Earth's rotation has been slowing down due to moon's gravitational forces, but human impact is becoming a dominant factor.
Melting ice caps cause a bulge at the equator, slowing down Earth's rotation.
Researchers from ETH Zurich found that climate change is causing ice melt to surpass moon's influence on Earth's rotational speed.
Melting Ice Caps and Earth's Changing Rotation: The Surprising Reasons Behind Longer Days

In recent years, a fascinating phenomenon has been observed by scientists: the Earth's days are getting slightly longer. This may seem insignificant, but it could have far-reaching consequences for our planet and its inhabitants. Two primary causes have been identified for this lengthening of the day: melting ice caps and the Earth's changing rotation.

First, let us explore how melting ice caps are contributing to longer days. As global temperatures continue to rise due to climate change, polar ice caps are melting at an unprecedented rate. This meltwater flows into the world's oceans, particularly in the equatorial region. The addition of this mass causes a bulge at the equator and a slight slowing of Earth's rotation.

Researchers from ETH Zurich have studied this phenomenon in detail, using physics-informed neural networks to model interactions between processes on and in the Earth. Their findings suggest that climate change is causing the ice masses in Greenland and Antarctica to melt at a rate that surpasses the moon's influence on Earth's rotational speed. This shift in mass is ultimately affecting Earth's rotation more than the effect of the moon, which has determined the increase in length of day for billions of years.

Secondly, let us examine how Earth's changing rotation is contributing to longer days. The planet's rotation has been slowing down due to moon's gravitational forces around 2.40 milliseconds per century. However, human impact is becoming a dominant factor in this process as well.

By the year 2100, melting ice could lengthen days to 2.62 milliseconds per century if greenhouse gas emissions are not drastically reduced. This may seem like a small change, but it could have significant implications for our planet and its inhabitants.

For example, longer days could affect the accuracy of GPS systems and communications devices. Space travel could also be impacted as even a slight deviation in Earth's rotation can grow to large deviations over long distances. Additionally, climate change accounts for 90 percent of variations between years and decades in Earth's polar motion.

In conclusion, the melting of ice caps and the Earth's changing rotation are two primary causes behind our planet's longer days. While these changes may seem minor, they could have far-reaching consequences for our planet and its inhabitants. It is essential that we continue to monitor these trends and take action to mitigate the effects of climate change.


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Confidence

90%

Doubts
  • Are there any other factors contributing to Earth's longer days besides melting ice caps and the Earth's changing rotation?
  • Is the research from ETH Zurich definitive in determining that climate change is causing ice melt to surpass the moon's influence on Earth's rotational speed?

Sources

100%

The overall score is a weighted number that takes into account conflict of interest, bias, deception and other practices that undermine the credibility of the source. It is calculated as:
(Site Conflicts Of Interest + Author Conflicts Of Interest) / 2.0 * 0.2 + ArticleBiasScore * 0.20 + UniquePointsScore * 0.05 + DeceptionScore * 0.20 + ReadabilityScore * 0.05 + FallacyScore * 0.20

A score that takes into consideration the content for flow, interruptions with ads, and overt search engine optimization techniques that makes the content hard to understand

Climate Crisis: Our Days Are Getting Longer as the Polar Ice Caps Melt

Bloomberg News Now Lara Williams Friday, 19 July 2024 14:33
  • Unique Points
    • Polar ice caps are melting due to climate change
    • Melting water from polar ice caps causes the planet to bulge at the equator
    • This bulging adds time to the day
  • Accuracy
    No Contradictions at Time Of Publication
  • Deception (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication
  • Fallacies (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication
  • Bias (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication
  • Site Conflicts Of Interest (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication
  • Author Conflicts Of Interest (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication

99%

The overall score is a weighted number that takes into account conflict of interest, bias, deception and other practices that undermine the credibility of the source. It is calculated as:
(Site Conflicts Of Interest + Author Conflicts Of Interest) / 2.0 * 0.2 + ArticleBiasScore * 0.20 + UniquePointsScore * 0.05 + DeceptionScore * 0.20 + ReadabilityScore * 0.05 + FallacyScore * 0.20

A score that takes into consideration the content for flow, interruptions with ads, and overt search engine optimization techniques that makes the content hard to understand

Climate change is making days (a little) longer, study says

USA Today Tuesday, 16 July 2024 00:00
  • Unique Points
    • Global warming is causing the Earth’s rotation to slow down and days to get longer at an unprecedented rate.
    • ,
  • Accuracy
    • Global warming is causing the Earth's rotation to slow down and days to get longer at an unprecedented rate.
    • Melting ice sheets in Greenland and Antarctica are causing a shift in mass, affecting the Earth’s rotation.
    • Hundreds of billions of tons of ice melt into the Earth’s oceans each year due to global warming.
    • The Earth's shape is changing due to melting ice, slowing its speed of rotation and making days longer by a few milliseconds per day.
  • Deception (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication
  • Fallacies (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication
  • Bias (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication
  • Site Conflicts Of Interest (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication
  • Author Conflicts Of Interest (0%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication

99%

The overall score is a weighted number that takes into account conflict of interest, bias, deception and other practices that undermine the credibility of the source. It is calculated as:
(Site Conflicts Of Interest + Author Conflicts Of Interest) / 2.0 * 0.2 + ArticleBiasScore * 0.20 + UniquePointsScore * 0.05 + DeceptionScore * 0.20 + ReadabilityScore * 0.05 + FallacyScore * 0.20

A score that takes into consideration the content for flow, interruptions with ads, and overt search engine optimization techniques that makes the content hard to understand

Why melting ice sheets are making our days longer

The Fixing Site: A Summary of the Article. Kasha Patel Monday, 15 July 2024 21:04
  • Unique Points
    • Melting ice sheets are making days longer
    • Human-driven warming is accelerating the melting of Earth’s ice sheets
    • Earth’s rotation has been slowing down due to moon’s gravitational forces around 2.40 milliseconds per century, but human impact is becoming a dominant factor
    • By 2100, melting ice could lengthen days to 2.62 milliseconds per century if greenhouse gas emissions are not drastically reduced
    • Earth’s axis of rotation is shifting due to mass loss from the poles caused by climate change and surface processes like ice melting and global changes in water storage
    • Climate change accounts for 90 percent of variations between years and decades in Earth’s polar motion
  • Accuracy
    • Melting water from polar ice caps causes the planet to bulge at the equator
    • The Earth's rotation is being affected by a shift in mass due to melting ice
  • Deception (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication
  • Fallacies (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication
  • Bias (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication
  • Site Conflicts Of Interest (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication
  • Author Conflicts Of Interest (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication

97%

The overall score is a weighted number that takes into account conflict of interest, bias, deception and other practices that undermine the credibility of the source. It is calculated as:
(Site Conflicts Of Interest + Author Conflicts Of Interest) / 2.0 * 0.2 + ArticleBiasScore * 0.20 + UniquePointsScore * 0.05 + DeceptionScore * 0.20 + ReadabilityScore * 0.05 + FallacyScore * 0.20

A score that takes into consideration the content for flow, interruptions with ads, and overt search engine optimization techniques that makes the content hard to understand

How climate change is altering the Earth's rotation

NASA Perseverance Mars Rover News Site Powered by Phys.org Science X Friday, 19 July 2024 14:36
  • Unique Points
    • Researchers at ETH Zurich have explained the various causes of long-term polar motion in the most comprehensive modeling to date, using AI methods.
    • Climate change is causing the ice masses in Greenland and Antarctica to melt, resulting in water flowing into the world’s oceans and especially into the equatorial region.
    • The Earth’s rotation is being affected by a shift in mass due to melting ice, causing a slowdown that increases physical inertia.
    • Climate change surpasses the moon’s influence on the Earth’s rotational speed, ultimately affecting it more than the effect of the moon which has determined the increase in length of day for billions of years.
    • The Earth’s axis of rotation is shifting due to mass shifts on Earth’s surface and in its interior caused by melting ice.
    • Physics-informed neural networks were used to model interactions between processes on and in the Earth, including climate change, core movements, mantle displacements, and surface dynamics.
    • The effects of climate change on the Earth’s rotation are minor and unlikely to pose a risk.
  • Accuracy
    • Climate change is causing the ice masses in Greenland and Antarctica to melt, resulting in water flowing into the world’s oceans and especially into the equatorial region.
    • The Earth’s rotation is being affected by a shift in mass due to melting ice, causing a slowdown that increases physical inertia.
    • Climate change surpasses the moon’s influence on the Earth’s rotational speed, ultimately affecting it more than the effect of the moon which has determined the increase in length of day for billions of years.
    • The Earth’s axis of rotation is shifting due to mass shifts on Earth’s surface and in its interior caused by melting ice.
    • Physics-informed neural networks were used to model interactions between processes on and in the Earth, including climate change, core movements, mantle displacements, and surface dynamics.
    • The effects of climate change on the Earth’s rotation are minor and unlikely to pose a risk.
  • Deception (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication
  • Fallacies (95%)
    The article contains no explicit logical fallacies. The author makes assertions based on scientific research and data. However, the author does make an appeal to authority by citing their own studies and those of their colleagues as evidence for their claims.
    • The ETH Zurich researchers show that climate change is also increasing the length of the day by a few milliseconds from its current 86,400 seconds.
    • In other words, we now know why and how the Earth’s axis of rotation moves relative to the Earth’s crust.
  • Bias (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication
  • Site Conflicts Of Interest (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication
  • Author Conflicts Of Interest (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication