Here\u2019s what you\u2019ll learn when you read this story:<\/p>\n
When humans pump groundwater, it has a substantial impact on the tilt of Earth\u2019s rotation.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n
Additionally, a study documents just how much of an influence groundwater pumping has on climate change.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n
Understanding this relatively recent data may provide a better understanding of how to help stave off sea-level rise.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Water<\/a> has power. So much power, in fact, that pumping Earth\u2019s groundwater can change the planet\u2019s tilt and rotation. It can also impact sea-level rise and other consequences of climate change.<\/p>\n Pumping groundwater appears to have a greater consequence than ever previously thought. But now\u2014thanks to a study published<\/a> in the journal Geophysical Research Letters\u2014we can see that, in less than two decades, Earth has tilted 31.5 inches as a result of pumping groundwater. This equates to.24 inches of sea level rise.<\/p>\n \u201cEarth\u2019s rotational pole actually changes a lot,\u201d Ki-Weon Seo, a geophysicist at Seoul National University and study lead, says in a statement<\/a>. \u201cOur study shows that among climate-related causes, the redistribution of groundwater actually has the largest impact on the drift of the rotational pole.\u201d<\/p>\n With the Earth<\/a> moving on a rotational pole, the distribution of water on the planet impacts distribution of mass. \u201cLike adding a tiny bit of weight to a spinning top,\u201d authors say, \u201cthe Earth spins a little differently as water is moved around.\u201d<\/p>\n NASA research published<\/a> in 2016 alerted us to the fact that the distribution of water can change the Earth\u2019s rotation. This study in Geophysical Research Letters attempts to add some hard figures to that realization. \u201cI\u2019m very glad to find the unexplained cause of the rotation pole drift,\u201d Seo says. \u201cOn the other hand, as a resident of Earth and a father, I\u2019m concerned and surprised to see that pumping groundwater is another source of sea-level rise.\u201d<\/p>\n The study included data from 1993 through 2010, and showed that the pumping of as much as 2,150 gigatons of groundwater<\/a> has caused a change in the Earth\u2019s tilt of roughly 31.5 inches. The pumping is largely for irrigation and human use, with the groundwater eventually relocating to the oceans.<\/p>\n In the study, researchers modeled observed changes in the drift of Earth\u2019s rotational pole and the movement of water. Across varying scenarios, the only model that matched the drift was one that included 2,150 gigatons of groundwater distribution.<\/p>\n Surendra Adhikari, a research scientist at NASA\u2019s Jet Propulsion Laboratory who was involved in the 2016 study, says the additional research is important. \u201cThey\u2019ve quantified the role of groundwater pumping on polar motion,\u201d he says in a news release, \u201cand it\u2019s pretty significant.\u201d<\/p>\n Where the water moves from\u2014and to\u2014matters. Redistributing water from the midlatitudes makes the biggest difference, so our intense water movement from both western North America and northwestern India have played a key role in the tilt<\/a> changes.<\/p>\n Now that the impact of water movement is known for such a short\u2014and relatively recent\u2014time, digging through historical data may help show trends and provide greater depth to the understanding of groundwater movement effects.<\/p>\n \u201cObserving changes in Earth\u2019s rotational pole is useful,\u201d Seo says, \u201cfor understanding continent-scale water storage variations.\u201d<\/p>\n