Climate change lengthening earth’s days, disrupting timekeeping

The Earth’s days are getting longer due to the melting of polar ice caused by human-induced climate change, a new study has found.

This subtle shift, though measured in milliseconds, could disrupt essential technologies like GPS navigation, electronic financial transactions, and the Internet.

The study, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the USA (PNAS), highlights the profound impact human activity is having on the planet’s fundamental processes.

Traditionally, the Earth’s rotation gradually slows over geological time due to the Moon’s gravitational pull.

However, the melting of the Greenland and Antarctic ice sheets is redistributing water towards the equator, making the Earth slightly more “flat,” slowing its rotation, and lengthening the day.

While individual clocks remain highly accurate, the Earth’s rotation varies due to factors like lunar tides and climate impacts. These variations must be accounted for in critical systems that rely on precise timekeeping.

Scientists assessed the impact of ice melt on the length of the day, finding that the rate of slowing accelerated from 0.3-1.0 milliseconds per century between 1900 and 2000 to 1.3 milliseconds per century since 2000.

If greenhouse gas emissions continue unabated, this rate could increase to 2.6 milliseconds per century by 2100, surpassing lunar tides as the primary factor influencing long-term day length variations.

The repercussions of this change extend beyond timekeeping, impacting navigation systems and financial transactions. This phenomenon, scientists say, underscores the far-reaching and often unexpected consequences of human-induced climate change.

Extreme temperatures in the Mediterranean

Meanwhile, persistent “extremely high” temperatures are being recorded across the Mediterranean, both on land and sea, further highlighting the urgent need to address the climate crisis.

According to climatebook, sea surface temperatures in the central and eastern Mediterranean are reaching 29°C – 31°C, with deviations from normal seasonal levels exceeding 6°C in the Adriatic Sea.

These extreme temperatures are having devastating effects on marine ecosystems, exacerbating health issues, and contributing to the spread of disease-carrying parasites.