Climate Change Impacts Earth's Rotation, Extending Day Length

Research from ETH Zürich reveals that climate change is altering Earth's rotation and extending the length of days. The melting of polar ice caps in Greenland and Antarctica redistributes mass across the planet's surface as meltwater flows into oceans. This shift in mass distribution affects the Earth's rotational speed, causing a slight deceleration. As a result, the planet requires more time to complete a full rotation, leading to longer days. The current climate-induced slowing effect measures approximately 1.33 milliseconds per century. While scientifically significant, this change remains imperceptible to human experience. The findings highlight how environmental transformations can influence fundamental planetary mechanics. This research was published in the German publication Freitag, contributing to ongoing scientific discussions about climate impacts.