Share
Warmer sea temperatures caused by climate change will move the Earth's poles according to a new study published in the journal Geophysical Research Letters.
Photo: Polar bear; mother and cubs.Credit: Alistair Rae/Flickr
A team from the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif., has found that the rise in sea levels caused by global warming will also play an important in pushing the poles around 1.5 metres towards Alaska.
"As warming gets into the deep ocean, it pushes up the water above it," said Felix Landerer of Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif. "Some of the mass gets transferred up onto shallow continental shelves."
The new study has surprised researchers who previously thought warming sea temperatures would have no effect on the Earth's rotation.
"It's a completely unexpected result," Richard Gross, also of Jet Propulsion Laboratory, was quoted as saying by Discovery News. "The conventional thinking has been that... sea level changes won't affect Earth's rotation."
The researchers said that melted ice water played an important role in the changes, redistributing the weight as it flowed into the oceans.
Want regular updates from The Tech Herald? Follow us on Twitter.
Interested in a more interactive TTH? Join our Facebook Group.
Interested in a more interactive TTH? Join our Facebook Group Want regular updates from The Tech Herald? Follow us on Twitter
Advertising
Comment on this Story