Slower Earth: How Melting Ice Caps Affect Global Time and Our Daily Lives

In recent years, scientists have discovered that the acceleration of melting ice caps from Greenland and Antarctica is affecting the speed of the Earth’s rotation. This redistribution of mass is causing a very slight slowdown in the planet’s spin, although it is still spinning faster than it has in the past.

Due to these changes, global timekeepers may need to subtract a second from our clocks sooner than expected. Coordinated Universal Time (UTC), which regulates clocks worldwide, is based on the Earth’s rotation. However, since this rate is not constant, it can affect the length of our days and nights. To maintain accuracy, approximately 27 leap seconds have been added since the 1970s to account for these variations.

A new study has suggested that without the melting ice caps, a “negative leap second” – subtracting a second from world clocks – would have been necessary in 2026. Duncan Agnew, author of the study, was surprised by how much humans have impacted the Earth’s rotation. He noted that these changes are unprecedented and underscored the significant effects of climate change on our planet.

Overall, this research highlights just how much climate change can affect every aspect of our lives, even something as simple as keeping accurate time. It serves as a reminder that we must take action now to reduce our carbon footprint and mitigate any further negative impacts on our planet’s natural systems.