Oddly enough, the Earth is spinning faster and faster
What makes this phenomenon even more interesting is that the melting of polar ice tends, on the contrary, to slow down its rotation speed, according to a study published in the journal. nature.
Global warming affects the weather, but it also affects the passage of time. A study published Wednesday in the scientific journal nature He notes that the increasing melting of polar ice is already affecting the measurement of time on a global scale in its own way. Historically, humans used the Earth's rotation to measure time divided into seconds. However, the system has changed since 1972: Coordinated Universal Time (UTC), used around the world, is now based on data from 450 atomic clocks, and its entire mechanism relies on the constant nature of the vibrations of an atom. Cesium 133.
But at that time, experts decided to keep these two measurements of time in sync, because “ Sailors continued to rely on the sun and stars for navigation, and wanted a standard of time that remained somehow connected to the Earth's rotation. »“, writes Patricia Tavella, from the International Bureau of Weights…
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