L-1459, Sec 11-E Muslim Town North Karachi.
L-1459, Sec 11-E Muslim Town North Karachi.
Observing changes in Earth's rotational pole is useful for understanding continent-scale water storage variations," Seo said. "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? Polar motion could hold the answer.
"Drift of Earth's Pole Confirms Groundwater Depletion as a Significant Contributor to Global Sea Level Rise 1993–2010" by Ki-Weon Seo, Dongryeol Ryu, Jooyoung Eom, Taewan Jeon, Jae-Seung Kim, Kookhyoun Youm, Jianli Chen, Clark R. Wilson, 15 June 2023, Geophysical Research Letters.DOI: 10.1029/2023GL103509
By pumping water out of the ground and moving it elsewhere, humans have shifted such a large mass of water that the Earth tilted nearly 80 centimeters (31.5 inches) east between 1993 and 2010 alone, according to a new study published on June 15 in Geophysical Research Letters, AGU's journal for short-format, high-impact research with implications spanning the Earth and space sciences.
The model only matched the observed polar drift once the researchers included 2150 gigatons of groundwater redistribution. Without it, the model was off by 78.5 centimeters (31 inches), or 4.3 centimeters (1.7 inches) of drift per year.
“I’m very glad to find the unexplained cause of the rotation pole drift,” Seo 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."
With each passing day that we don't take action, the steps we take become more drastic the following day.However, instead of being a doomsday clock, the aim is that this will highlight that there is still time to take action, and that the current trajectory of our harmful emissions is not unstoppable.Much like with a medical diagnosis, we know the problem and we also have the means to take practical steps to give ourselves, and the other species that we share this planet with, the best quality and length of life.
