A surprising fact has emerged about groundwater, which provides most of our water needs. Scientists have revealed that the poles of the Earth have shifted with the decrease of groundwater.
Moreover, the displacement in question is not at a negligible level. In just 17 years, it was determined that the North and South poles had shifted 78.48 centimeters to the east.
But how does the decrease in groundwater affect the polar points?
The answer to this question actually lies in physics. When a change is made in the distribution of the weight of any rotating object, the axis of rotation will also shift. Part of the weight change on Earth is due to decreasing groundwater.
Of course, groundwater does not turn into steam either. Whether for agriculture or daily use, we bring these waters to the surface, use them and release them back into the cycle of nature. However, the water does not go directly underground, it accumulates in the oceans first.
What disturbs the balance of the world is the imbalance in this distribution. The distribution of water from aquifers to the oceans shifts the Earth’s axis of rotation.
The 17-year period that scientists talk about in their studies is not the 17 years we left behind. The data in the study consists of polar motion observed between 1993 and 2010. So the current axis shift can only be estimated at the moment.
It is estimated that in these 17 years we have consumed (and therefore brought to the surface) a total of 2150 gigatons of groundwater.
So will this affect us?
In the long run, yes, our poles can shift. In fact, it does, and it’s natural. But what’s alarming, according to scientists’ findings, is that one of our most vital resources, groundwater, is rapidly depleting.
This will not only affect our lives, but also the Earth and every living thing. As the oceans rise, the percentage of land will decrease.
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