• When humans pump groundwater, it has a huge impact on the tilt of the Earth’s rotation.

• Additionally, a study demonstrates the influence of groundwater pumping on climate change.

• Understanding this relatively recent data could provide insight into how to help curb sea level rise.

Water has power. In fact, there is so much power that pumping Earth’s groundwater can change the planet’s tilt and rotation. It may also impact sea level rise and other consequences of climate change.

Groundwater pumping appears to have more serious consequences than previously thought. But now, thanks to a study published in the magazine Geophysical Research Letters—we can see that in less than two decades the Earth has tilted 31.5 inches due to groundwater pumping. This is equivalent to 0.24 inches of sea level rise.

“The Earth’s rotational pole actually changes a lot,” says Ki-Weon Seo, a geophysicist at Seoul National University and leader of the study. statement. “Our study shows that among climate-related causes, groundwater redistribution actually has the largest impact on rotational pole drift.”

With the Earth moving on a pole of rotation, the distribution of water on the planet impacts the distribution of mass. “It’s like adding just a little bit of weight to a top,” the authors say, “the Earth spins a little differently depending on how the water moves.”

NASA Research published in 2016 alerted us to the fact that the distribution of water can modify the rotation of the Earth. This study in Geophysical research letters attempts to add some concrete figures to this awareness. “I am very happy to discover the unexplained cause of rotational pole drift,” says Seo. “On the other hand, as a resident of Earth and a father, I am concerned and surprised that groundwater pumping is another source of sea level rise.”

The study included data from 1993 to 2010 and showed that pumping up to 2,150 gigatons of groundwater caused the Earth’s tilt to change by about 31.5 inches. Pumping is largely for irrigation and human use, with groundwater ultimately transferred to the oceans.

In the study, the researchers modeled the observed changes in the drift of the Earth’s rotational pole and in the movement of water. In different scenarios, the only model that matched the drift was one that included 2,150 gigatons of groundwater distribution.

Surendra Adhikari, a researcher at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory who participated in the 2016 study, says the additional research is important. “They quantified the role of groundwater pumping on polar movement,” he says in a press release, “and it’s quite important.”

Where the water moves to and from is important. Mid-latitude water redistribution makes the biggest difference, which is why our intense water movements from western North America and northwest India have played a role key in the tilt changes.

Now that the impact of water movement has been known for such a short time – and relatively recently – looking at historical data can help show trends and deepen understanding of the effects of groundwater movement.

“Observing changes in the Earth’s rotational pole is useful,” explains Seo, “for understanding variations in water storage at the scale of continents.”

This data can also help environmental advocates understand how to fight to prevent continued sea ​​level rise and other climate problems. Hopefully the changes can be properly implemented over time.

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