Global warming lengthens days, impacts tech precision, study finds

Scientists from Switzerland have examined the length of the day in the context of global warming. According to their research, the Earth's rising temperature affects the lengthening of the day. Although the difference is currently small, the study's conclusion is alarming.

Global warming isn't just about fires or melting glaciers. Scientists worldwide are continuously studying the impact of the climate crisis on various aspects of life. Their task is to assess the actual effects of the Earth's elevated temperature. They believe that humanity does not fully comprehend the seriousness of the situation.

Scientists from ETH Zurich in Switzerland have investigated the impact of the climate crisis on the length of the day. They have found that elevated temperatures lengthen the day, potentially having severe implications for the functioning of GPS systems, the internet, and banking, all of which depend on precise time measurement. Currently, the change is only a few milliseconds, but for transactions, this could already mean transferring money the next day.

"The Guardian" explains: "The length of the day on Earth has been constantly increasing over geological time due to the gravitational drag of the Moon on the planet's oceans and lands. However, the melting of the ice sheets in Greenland and Antarctica caused by human-induced global warming is transferring water stored in high latitudes to the world's oceans, leading to more water in seas closer to the equator. This makes the Earth more flattened—or more oblate—slowing the planet's rotation and further lengthening the day. The global impact of humanity has also recently been demonstrated by studies showing that water redistribution has shifted the Earth's rotation axis—the north and south poles. Other studies have shown that carbon emissions caused by humanity are shrinking the stratosphere."

Professor Benedikt Soja from ETH Zurich in Switzerland stated in an interview with "The Guardian": "We can see our impact as humans on the entire Earth system, not just locally, like the temperature increase, but fundamentally, changing how it moves through space and rotates. Due to our carbon emissions, we have achieved this in just 100 or 200 years. Previously, governing processes took billions of years, and that is striking. All data centres that support the Internet, communication, and financial transactions rely on precise time measurement. We also need precise knowledge of time for navigation, especially for satellites and spacecraft."

The scientists' research was published in the "Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the USA". They used observations and computer reconstructions to examine the impact of ice melt on the length of the day. They noted: "The current pace is probably higher than ever in the last few thousand years. It's predicted to remain at about 1.0 milliseconds per century for the next few decades, even if greenhouse gas emissions are significantly reduced."

Doctor Santiago Belda from the University of Alicante in Spain, who was not part of the research team, said in an interview with "The Guardian": "This study is a major advance because it confirms that the alarming loss of ice experienced by Greenland and Antarctica has a direct impact on the length of the day, causing it to lengthen. This change in the length of the day has critical implications not only for how we measure time but also for GPS and other technologies that govern our modern lives."