{"id":126284,"date":"2024-08-14T20:02:25","date_gmt":"2024-08-14T14:32:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/?post_type=current-affairs&#038;p=126284"},"modified":"2025-02-13T11:29:30","modified_gmt":"2025-02-13T05:59:30","slug":"climate-change-making-days-on-earth-longer","status":"publish","type":"current-affairs","link":"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/current-affairs\/climate-change-making-days-on-earth-longer","title":{"rendered":"Climate Change Making Days on Earth Longer"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Scientists have found that <\/span><b>melting polar ice caps<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> are <\/span><b>causing the Earth to spin slower<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, resulting in tiny changes in<\/span><b> day length.\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n<h2><span style=\"font-size: 18pt;\"><b>Earth Rotation and Length of the Day on Earth<\/b><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-126235 alignright\" src=\"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/148-66bcad7f9c7b1.webp\" alt=\"Earth Rotation\" width=\"353\" height=\"373\" srcset=\"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/148-66bcad7f9c7b1.webp 635w, https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/148-66bcad7f9c7b1-284x300.webp 284w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 353px) 100vw, 353px\" \/><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li aria-level=\"1\"><b>Rotation of the Earth:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The <\/span><b>rotation of earth is the continuous spinning of our planet on its axis<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, which is an imaginary line passing through the North and South Poles.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li><b>Day and Night: The rotation of earth is responsible for the cycle of day and night.\u00a0<\/b>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">As <\/span><b>one side of the Earth faces the Sun, it experiences daylight<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, while the opposite side is in darkness, creating nighttime.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The boundary between these regions is called the terminator.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><b>Duration:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> It takes <\/span><b>approximately 24 hours for Earth to complete one full rotation<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, resulting in a wide range of fascinating natural phenomena and impacts on our daily lives.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><b>Length of the Day on Earth:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The length of a day on Earth can be described in two ways:<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><b>Sidereal Day: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This is the time it takes for <\/span><b>Earth to complete one full rotation<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> relative to the distant stars. A sidereal day lasts approximately <\/span><b>23 hours and 56 minutes<\/b><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><b>Solar Day:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> This is the time it takes for the <\/span><b>Sun to return to the same position in the sky<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A solar day, which we commonly refer to as a \u201cday,\u201d is approximately 24 hours.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">However, <\/span><b>due to Earth\u2019s variable rotation speed, solar days can be slightly longer or shorter than 24 hours.<\/b><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><span class=\"vc_button\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.pw.live\/batches\/upsc\/pw-only-ias?utm_source=seo+upsc+batch&#038;utm_medium=seo+upsc&#038;utm_campaign=seo&#038;utm_id=upsc\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Enroll now for UPSC Online Classes<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><b>Some of the Factors Affecting the Length of the Day:<\/b>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><b>Lunar Tidal Friction: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Slows Earth&#8217;s rotation over time due to the <\/span><b>Moon&#8217;s gravitational pull.<\/b><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><b>Mass Distribution: Melting polar ice redistributes Earth&#8217;s mass from the poles toward the equator, which can alter the planet&#8217;s rotation speed.<\/b><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><b>Earthquakes and Volcanic Activity:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Large geological events can shift Earth&#8217;s mass, leading to minor changes in rotation speed.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><b>Crustal Rebound: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">After the <\/span><b>last ice age,<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> melting ice caused the Earth&#8217;s crust to rebound, which affected rotation.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><b>Ocean Currents: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Large-scale changes in ocean currents can also influence rotational speed.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><b>Anthropogenic Activities: Large-Scale Engineering Projects or changes in land use can contribute to slight variations in Earth&#8217;s rotation.<\/b><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><span style=\"font-size: 18pt;\"><b>Recent Findings<\/b><\/span><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><b>Slowing of Earth Rotation:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Over the past 20 years, <\/span><b>melting ice has slowed Earth&#8217;s rotation by about 1.3 milliseconds per century. <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If high emission rates continue, this could increase to 2.6 milliseconds per century.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><b>Climate Change and Earth&#8217;s Rotation: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Scientists have discovered that <\/span><b>melting polar ice caps are causing Earth to spin more slowly.<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> This change, <\/span><b>though minute<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">,<\/span><b> affects how we measure time, <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">which is crucial for technology like GPS and space travel.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><b>Impact of Melting Polar Ice<\/b>\n<ul>\n<li><b>Pole-to-Equator Mass Flux: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Melting ice from polar regions moves towards the equator.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><b>Increased Oblateness:<\/b> <b>As ice melts, Earth\u2019s shape becomes more elongated around the equator.<\/b><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><b>Effect on Earth&#8217;s Rotation<\/b>\n<ul>\n<li><b>Slower Rotation: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The <\/span><b>redistribution of mass towards the equator causes Earth to spin more slowly.\u00a0<\/b><\/li>\n<li><b>Longer Days: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">As a result, the <\/span><b>time required for Earth to complete one rotation increases, lengthening the duration of a day.<\/b><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><b>Impact on Technology: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Although the changes are tiny, they are <\/span><b>significant for precise timekeeping systems.\u00a0<\/b>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Even <\/span><b>small discrepancies can affect GPS, stock trading, and space missions.<\/b><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><b>Current and Historical Trends: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The<\/span><b> Earth&#8217;s rotation is already affected by processes like lunar tidal friction<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, which slows it down by about 2 milliseconds per century.\u00a0<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The addition of <\/span><b>leap seconds helps keep atomic clocks in sync with Earth&#8217;s rotation.<\/b><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><b>Effects of Ice Melt and Earth&#8217;s Core: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Melting ice from the poles has caused the Earth&#8217;s crust to rebound, potentially speeding up the Earth&#8217;s rotation.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><b>Potential for\u00a0 a Negative Leap Second:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> This phenomenon could lead to debates about whether a <\/span><b>negative leap second is needed to <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">adjust for the faster rotation caused by the melting ice and other factors.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><b>Shifts in Earth&#8217;s Axis<\/b>\n<ul>\n<li><b>Earth&#8217;s Axis refers to the imaginary line that Earth rotates around, running vertically through the North and South Poles.<\/b><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Climate change and melting polar ice are affecting the axis of rotation.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Research shows that melting ice<\/span><b> drives the Earth&#8217;s polar motion, causing slight shifts in the axis of rotation.<\/b><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><b>Consequences for Coastal Areas<\/b>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Rising sea levels from melting ice have more severe impacts on <\/span><b>low-lying coastal<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> areas than changes in rotational speed or axis wobble.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">These effects highlight the <\/span><b>broader implications of climate change and the urgent need to reduce emissions.<\/b><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><span class=\"vc_button\"><a href=\"https:\/\/store.pw.live\/govt-entrance-exams\/upsc-books\/upsc-textbooks?utm_source=SEO&#038;utm_medium=PW+Live&#038;utm_campaign=UPSC+Textbooks\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Check Out UPSC NCERT Textbooks From PW Store<\/span><\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<table style=\"width: 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