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We’ve changed Earth’s spin by pumping groundwater

A new study shows that our human pumping and relocating of groundwater has slightly shifted Earth’s mass – thereby slightly changing Earth’s spin – and causing Earth’s rotational axis to increase its rate of wandering. Groundwater withdrawal for agriculture, mining, or household use, for example, has caused a slight-but-noticeable shift of Earth’s mass. That, in turn, has caused the Earth’s rotational pole to wander nearly a meter (approximately a yard) over the last two decades.

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https://earthsky.org/earth/changed-earths-spin-pumping-groundwater-sea-level/

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