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Screenshot of NASA's polar motion simulation, showing various factors contributing to the waving of the Earth.The NASA
An in-depth study by NASA found that humans are responsible for the increasing oscillation detected as the Earth rotates on its axis.
When you think of the Earth, you can think of an exact sphere, but the Earth is actually an oblate spheroid, marked by mountains and deep ocean pits. These combine to unequally distribute the weight on the surface of the Earth. This uneven distribution of weight on the surface of the Earth is one of the reasons why the Earth is wobbling on its axis when it is spinning.
Recent research by NASA has shown that the oscillation of the Earth, as it rotates, is divided into three main factors: glacial bounce, ice melt, and mantle convection. Previously, scientists thought that the rebound of glaciers was the main factor behind the oscillation of the Earth. However, NASA estimates that three factors are also responsible for about one-third of the earth's oscillation. Let's cover the three factors and their meanings. But first, you may find it interesting to visit NASA's interactive polar motion simulation.
The first factor is the glacial rebound or isostatic rebound, which scientists previously thought to be the main contributor to the Earth's oscillation. Imagine the Earth as a very big ball similar to the one in the photo below. As you can see, the lady on the compression ball compresses the ball where it is in contact with the ball, causing an injury. To compensate for this, the sides of the ball just outside the woman's outline are bulging outward. This is an example of where large glaciers cover land masses such as North America. During the last ice age, about 26,500 years ago, vast expanses of land were covered with heavy glaciers.
This depressed the lands under the glaciers and swelled the land around the perimeter of the glaciers. However, as the glaciers melted, the earth, like the ball, would return to its original shape. This process is called the Glacial Bounce because the Earth is returning to its original shape. The process is quite slow, which means the Earth continues to bounce back from the last ice age. This is what scientists previously thought to represent the entire flicker of the Earth.
Isostatic rebound is similar to how an equilibrium ball responds to thrust.Photo of US Air Force / Senior Airman Andrew Satran
Now, we know that there are two other factors that influence the oscillation of the Earth. NASA found that melting ice, especially on Greenland, accounted for a third of the earth's oscillation. This surprising discovery directly links human actions to the modification of the Earth's oscillation. As humans continue to artificially heat the planet by releasing greenhouse gases, the earth's ice continues to melt at an unprecedented rate. NASA estimates that 7,500 gigatonnes of Greenland ice melted in the ocean in the 20th century. That equates to the weight of 20 million Empire State Buildings. The transfer of weight from Greenland to redistribution around the world caused the Earth to flicker faster than it would otherwise have.
The last factor, accounting for a third of the earth's oscillation, is mantle convection. It is a continuous process in the interior of the Earth where the molten rock is heated, rises in the mantle, cools and falls closer to the Earth's core. Mantle convection is the driving mechanism of plate tectonics, earthquakes, volcanoes, mountain ranges and deep marine pits.
Coat convectionWikicommons
In total, NASA discovered that the axis of rotation of the Earth had drifted about 10 meters in the 20th century alone. As ice continues to melt from landmasses such as Greenland, we will continue to see increased oscillation as the Earth rotates. Fortunately, the oscillation is not big enough to impact ecosystems or our daily lives. Although it may have an impact on navigation, modern technology can accurately explain changes in the Earth's oscillation.
What is surprising is how much humans are changing the fundamental nature of the Earth and how it works. Keeping track of Earth's oscillations and its changes can serve as a barometer of the amount of ice that has melted here on Earth and place the role of man on Earth in an astronomical perspective.
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Screenshot of NASA's polar motion simulation, showing various factors contributing to the waving of the Earth.The NASA
An in-depth study by NASA found that humans are responsible for the increasing oscillation detected as the Earth rotates on its axis.
When you think of the Earth, you can think of an exact sphere, but the Earth is actually an oblate spheroid, marked by mountains and deep ocean pits. These combine to unequally distribute the weight on the surface of the Earth. This uneven distribution of weight on the surface of the Earth is one of the reasons why the Earth is wobbling on its axis when it is spinning.
Recent research by NASA has shown that the oscillation of the Earth, as it rotates, is divided into three main factors: glacial bounce, ice melt, and mantle convection. Previously, scientists thought that the rebound of glaciers was the main factor behind the oscillation of the Earth. However, NASA estimates that three factors are also responsible for about one-third of the earth's oscillation. Let's cover the three factors and their meanings. But first, you may find it interesting to visit NASA's interactive polar motion simulation.
The first factor is the glacial rebound or isostatic rebound, which scientists previously thought to be the main contributor to the Earth's oscillation. Imagine the Earth as a very big ball similar to the one in the photo below. As you can see, the lady on the compression ball compresses the ball where it is in contact with the ball, causing an injury. To compensate for this, the sides of the ball just outside the woman's outline are bulging outward. This is an example of where large glaciers cover land masses such as North America. During the last ice age, about 26,500 years ago, vast expanses of land were covered with heavy glaciers.
This depressed the lands under the glaciers and swelled the land around the perimeter of the glaciers. However, as the glaciers melted, the earth, like the ball, would return to its original shape. This process is called the Glacial Bounce because the Earth is returning to its original shape. The process is quite slow, which means the Earth continues to bounce back from the last ice age. This is what scientists previously thought to represent the entire flicker of the Earth.
Isostatic rebound is similar to how an equilibrium ball responds to thrust.Photo of US Air Force / Senior Airman Andrew Satran
Now, we know that there are two other factors that influence the oscillation of the Earth. NASA found that melting ice, especially on Greenland, accounted for a third of the earth's oscillation. This surprising discovery directly links human actions to the modification of the Earth's oscillation. As humans continue to artificially heat the planet by releasing greenhouse gases, the earth's ice continues to melt at an unprecedented rate. NASA estimates that 7,500 gigatonnes of Greenland ice melted in the ocean in the 20th century. That equates to the weight of 20 million Empire State Buildings. The transfer of weight from Greenland to redistribution around the world caused the Earth to flicker faster than it would otherwise have.
The last factor, accounting for a third of the earth's oscillation, is mantle convection. It is a continuous process in the interior of the Earth where the molten rock is heated, rises in the mantle, cools and falls closer to the Earth's core. Mantle convection is the driving mechanism of plate tectonics, earthquakes, volcanoes, mountain ranges and deep marine pits.
Coat convectionWikicommons
In total, NASA discovered that the axis of rotation of the Earth had drifted about 10 meters in the 20th century alone. As ice continues to melt from landmasses such as Greenland, we will continue to see increased oscillation as the Earth rotates. Fortunately, the oscillation is not big enough to impact ecosystems or our daily lives. Although it may have an impact on navigation, modern technology can accurately explain changes in the Earth's oscillation.
What is surprising is how much humans are changing the fundamental nature of the Earth and how it works. Keeping track of Earth's oscillations and its changes can serve as a barometer of the amount of ice that has melted here on Earth and place the role of man on Earth in an astronomical perspective.
