_By Abbas Nazil_
A new study has raised concerns that climate change-induced ice melt may significantly alter the Earth’s rotational axis, potentially shifting the geographic North and South Poles by as much as 89 feet (27 meters) by the year 2100.
The research, published in March in the journal Geophysical Research Letters, reveals that the redistribution of water mass resulting from melting ice sheets is already influencing the Earth’s rotation and could have increasingly dramatic effects in the future.
The study, led by a team of geophysicists, used data tracking the movement of the Earth’s poles from 1900 to 2018 alongside records of ice melt patterns to establish a strong connection between the two phenomena.
Scientists found that the melting of glaciers and ice sheets due to global warming is causing a significant redistribution of mass on the planet’s surface, altering how the planet spins — much like a top wobbling when its weight shifts unevenly.
According to the researchers, even under the most optimistic climate scenarios, the North Pole could shift westward by at least 39 feet (12 meters) compared to its location in 1900.
However, in a worst-case scenario of continued and accelerated ice melt, the shift could exceed 89 feet by the end of the century.
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This movement could have real-world implications, particularly for satellite systems and space navigation technologies that rely on precise geolocation and orientation based on Earth’s axis and rotational behavior.
The co-author of the study, Mostafa Kiani Shahvandi, explained to Live Science that human activity is now playing a larger role in shifting the Earth’s poles than natural forces that shaped the planet’s rotational behavior in the past.
One such force, the post-glacial rebound — the slow rising of land that was once compressed under massive Ice Age glaciers — has long been known to contribute to polar movement.
However, Shahvandi noted that the current mass loss from glaciers, largely due to human-caused global warming, is now surpassing that effect.
This shifting of the Earth’s axis is part of a broader set of geophysical changes that climate change is triggering, and its implications extend far beyond temperature and sea-level rise.
As mass from polar ice caps moves into the oceans, the delicate balance of Earth’s rotation is being disturbed in measurable ways.
Scientists emphasize the need for more research and monitoring to better understand how this ongoing shift may affect global systems, including climate models, GPS technologies, and even the long-term stability of Earth’s orientation in space.
