Earth's Days Are Mysteriously Getting Longer, Scientists Say

For the past 20,000 years, another process has been working in the opposite direction, speeding up Earth's rotation. When the last ice age ended, melting polar ice sheets reduced surface pressure, and Earth's mantle started steadily moving toward the poles.Just as a ballet dancer spins faster as they bring their arms toward their body – the axis around which they spin – so our planet's spin rate increases when this mass of mantle moves closer to Earth's axis.

For example, the Great Tōhoku Earthquake of 2011 in Japan, with a magnitude of 8.9, is believed to have sped up Earth's rotation by a relatively tinyApart from these large-scale changes, over shorter periods weather and climate also have important impacts on Earth's rotation, causing variations in both directions.

A comparison between these estimates and an atomic clock has revealed a seemingly ever-shortening length of day over the past few years. The reason for this change is not clear. It could be due to changes in weather systems, with back-to-back La Niña events, although these have occurred before. It could be increased melting of the ice sheets, although those have not deviated hugely from their steady rate of melt in recent years.? Probably not, given that occurred in January 2022.

that seems to be the situation when your at work anyways...

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