Climate Change Slows Earth's Spin, Lengthening Days at Unprecedented Rate
New scientific research has revealed that human-induced climate change is now a measurable force altering the very rotation of our planet. A study led by geophysics researchers from the University of Vienna and ETH Zurich shows that the current rate of day lengthening—approximately 1.33 milliseconds per century—is unprecedented when compared to data from the past 3.6 million years. This surpasses the natural slowdown caused by the moon's gravitational pull. The primary driver of this shift is the large-scale redistribution of Earth's mass due to melting ice sheets and glaciers. As ice melts at the poles, water flows toward the equator. This process, explained by the law of conservation of angular momentum, acts like a figure skater extending their arms to slow a spin, effectively slowing Earth's rotation and making days fractionally longer. While day length naturally fluctuates due to factors like Earth's internal geophysical processes and atmospheric conditions, the study confirms that climate change is now exerting a greater influence on our planet's spin than at any point in millions of years. This finding has implications for precise timekeeping systems, like Coordinated Universal Time (UTC), which may require more frequent adjustments. The research clarifies a complex picture of Earth's rotation, which has seen short-term speed increases in recent years due to other geophysical factors. However, the long-term trend driven by climate change is a clear and accelerating slowdown. Scientists analyze this by studying historical sea-level data to estimate past spin rates, providing a stark new metric of humanity's impact on planetary systems.
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Geophysics researchers in Vienna ... 2020, our days have gotten longer by roughly 1.33 milliseconds (ms) per century—the most rapidly that Earth’s spin has slowed down since the time of gigantic mastodons and saber-toothed cats....
Climate change is slowing Earth's spin at unprecedented rate compared to past 3.6 million years
Citation: Climate change is slowing Earth's spin at unprecedented rate compared to past 3.6 million years (2026, March 12) retrieved 15 March 2026 from https://phys.org/news/2026-03-climate-earth-unprecedented-million-years.html
Earth’s Spin ‘Is Slowing at a Pace Not Seen in Millions of Years’ – but last year it was speeding up? | Tallbloke's Talkshop
Media in a spin? - - - Published March 13, 2026 The new study described this "almost unprecedented rate of increase" in the length of an average day as a quantifiable consequence of Earth's rising oceans, says Gizmodo. . . . Published June 23, 2025 Earth’s Rotation Just Hit a New Record— ...
Write for us- Entertainment, Games, Movies, News T.V. Shows: ... Earth’s rotation is changing in ways that are drawing unusual attention from scientists, timekeepers, and climate researchers. The main reason is not a sudden shift in the planet’s orbit or a hidden force deep underground. It is the redistribution of mass on Earth’s surface, especially from melting ice sheets and glaciers, which is now slowing the planet’s spin ...
Earth’s days are getting longer at an unprecedented rate. Climate change is to blame
The researchers behind the new study had previously found that climate change affects day length, as rising ocean levels—caused by the melting glaciers and the dwindling polar ice sheets—affect Earth’s spin. The slowdown is linked to the distribution of mass once held at the poles toward ...
When she extends them, the rotation slows down. This is called the conservation of angular momentum. This law states that if the way the mass is distributed changes, the spin rate will also adjust to compensate. The skater with arms pulled in has more mass closer to the rotation axis, which means faster spinning. If the Earth ...
Climate change slows Earth's spin: Day lengthening unprecedented in 3.6 million years | Newswise
Climate change is lengthening our days because rising sea levels slow Earth's rotation. Researchers from the University of Vienna and ETH Zurich now show that the current increase in day length — 1.33 milliseconds per century— is unprecedented in the past 3.6 million years.
New research suggests that Earth’s rotation has been dramatically slowing. Geophysics researchers in Vienna and Zurich are analyzing the variations in global sea levels from as far back as the Late Pliocene to estimate the changing rate of the Earth’s spin.
Earth’s days are getting longer at an unprecedented rate. Climate change is to blame
But in reality, the length of any given day varies for different reasons, including the moon’s gravitational pull on the planet and geophysical processes in Earth’s interior and at its surface, as well as atmospheric conditions. Incredibly, climate change is expected to have more influence ...
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