The Earth’s axis has tilted significantly over the course of two decades, and now we know why

If it feels a little off balance, you can blame your fellow humans: groundwater pumping has tilted the Earth by 31.5 inches over 17 years, or about 1.8 inches per year.

As reported in recent days by the media including Popular Science and USA TodayPumping 2,150 gigatons of groundwater from 1993 to 2010 changed the Earth’s slope by more than two feet. (One gigaton of water represents about 2.2 trillion pounds of water, or one billion metric tons.) Published in the journal Geophysical Research Letters In June of last year.

Most groundwater is pumped for agricultural irrigation and the water we use for drinking, bathing and other domestic and industrial uses. It appears that the redistribution of water from its natural streams is what causes this effect.

The Earth has always been tilted on its axis by 23.5 degrees, and here’s why Seasons and Daylight saving time.

The pumped groundwater eventually makes its way into the oceans and has, in a modest way, contributed to rising sea levels. The most important factor in sea level rise has been climate change caused by burning fossil fuels, which has led to melting glaciers and climate change. Sea ice. In both cases, it is human activity that affects the planet’s water balance.

The research was led by Ki-Won Seo of Seoul National University and is following similar findings It dates back to NASA from 2016.

“The Earth’s rotational pole actually changes a lot.” Seo said In a statement when the research is published. “Our study shows that among climate-related causes, groundwater redistribution actually has the greatest impact on rotational pole drift.”