The Geophysical Research Letters has published a new study according to which, the Earth's pole has shifted in the past three decades. the shift has been of 80 centimeters approximately. What may be the cause of this shift?
The situation
The earth's pole has shifted 80 centimeters approximately to the east in the past three decades. The shift occurred between the years 1993 to 2010, as per Phys.org.
The Reason
The main reason behind it is groundwater being pumped. The rotational axis of Earth shifted in the decade of 1990s. Earlier it was believed this shift was a result of groundwater removal, glacial melt, and other factors leading to an increase in sea level.
However, in the year 2016, researchers found that there is an ability of water to alter the rotation of Earth.
Until this discovery, not many knew these rotational changes were due to the contribution of groundwater.
As per the Phys.org. website, it was projected that man pumped 2,150 gigatons of groundwater. This is equivalent to six millimeters of sea level increase from the year 1993 to 2010.
The estimate though, is difficult.
Ki-Weon Seo, a Seoul National University geophysicist said to the website, “Earth’s rotational pole actually changes a lot.”
The man led the studies, and thus made statements like, “Our study shows that among climate-related causes, the redistribution of groundwater actually has the largest impact on the drift of the rotational pole.”
It was at this moment that they discovered that groundwater distribution (2150 gigatons) is required to be incorporated in the model for it to align with the observations of the Earth's pole shift.
Connection to India
Most water, as per the research was redistributed in Western North America as well as Northwestern India. The authors said, “On the other hand, as a resident of Earth and a father, I’m concerned and surprised to see that pumping groundwater is another source of sea-level rise.”
“Earth’s pole has drifted toward 64.16°E at a speed of 4.36 cm/yr during 1993–2010 due to groundwater depletion and resulting sea level rise,” the authors added.
The Solution
The solution is simple. As per the research, if countries made attempts to decrease groundwater depletion, particularly in sensitive areas, the change in the drift can be theoretically altered. However, this is only suitable if such attempts are continued for decades and decades.
The rotational pole alters normally by a few meters in a year. Thus, changes caused by groundwater pumping do not lead to the risk of shifting seasons.
However, it is important to note that, on geological time scales, climate can get impacted by polar drift.
Seo stated that “Observing changes in Earth’s rotational pole is useful for understanding continent-scale water storage variations.”
He further added that “Polar motion data are available from as early as the late 19th century. So, we can potentially use those data to understand continental water storage variations during the last 100 years. Were there any hydrological regime changes resulting from the warming climate? The polar motion could hold the answer.”
A research scientist at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory at NASA, Surendra Adhikari said that this is actually a good contribution and definitely an essential documentation.
Surendra Adhikari published a paper on the theme of water redistribution and its impact on rotational drift. In a statement, Adhikari said, “They have quantified the role of groundwater pumping on polar motion, and it’s pretty significant.”
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