Comment on Humans have pumped so much groundwater from the Earth that it's actually caused the planet's axis to shift, a new study found

Humans have pumped so much groundwater from the Earth that it's actually caused the planet's axis to shift, a new study found

We're moving so much water from under the continents to the oceans that it's affecting our axial tilt, a new study found.DrPixel / Getty Images New research shows that persistently pumping groundwater has shifted Earth's axis. The reason is that we're moving all that water mass from under the continents to the oceans. Most groundwater ends up in our oceans and raised sea levels by 6.24 mm from 1993-2010. Below the Earth's surface lies over a thousand times more water than all the rivers and lakes in the world.This groundwater accounts for almost all the freshwater on the planet.But in many areas of the world, groundwater is being extracted faster than the rate that it naturally recharges.A recent study found that humans are pumping so much groundwater that it's not only increasing sea levels, it's actually shifting the entire planet on its axis.How groundwater depletion affects Earth's rotational poleThe Earth's rotational pole normally changes and wanders by about several meters each year.Many factors contribute to this axial wobble, including the melting of snow and ice in the Northern Hemisphere every spring, which significantly changes the distribution of water mass on Earth.Extracting groundwater also redistributes water mass.

 

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