New scientific research reveals that Earth is spinning at a slower pace than usual, causing days to lengthen at a rate unprecedented in millions of years. While day length fluctuates naturally due to lunar gravity and geological shifts, a joint study by the University of Vienna and ETH Zurich confirms that human-induced climate change is now a primary driver, marking a shift unseen for at least 3.6 million years.
The research explains that the melting of polar ice caps and rising sea levels are redistributing Earth's mass toward the equator. This physical shift acts similarly to an ice skater slowing their spin by extending their arms. Mustafa Kiani Shahvandi, the study's lead author, noted that this mass redistribution is slowing the planet's rotation, adding approximately 1.33 milliseconds to the length of a day per century.
Experts warn that by the end of the 21st century, the impact of climate change on Earth's rotation could surpass the influence of the moon. While these millisecond changes are imperceptible in daily life, they represent a critical challenge for high-precision technologies. Systems such as GPS satellites, space navigation, and global financial networks depend on the absolute accuracy of the planet's rotational speed, making the monitoring of this phenomenon vital for future global infrastructure.