Ki-Weon Seo, a geophysicist from Seoul National University in South Korea, has revealed a study he is leading that demonstrates how the Earth’s poles are drifting further away from their traditional positions on the map, attributed to a rapid tilt of the planet’s axis.
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The geographic axis (connecting the two poles on a map) and the actual rotational axis of the Earth have always had a slight offset, which is gradually increasing as the planet is “rolling” away from its position – Image: NASA
Within a relatively short period of time compared to its age – specifically from 1993 to 2010 – our 4.5-billion-year-old planet has tilted approximately 80 centimeters and has continued to tilt rapidly in the subsequent years.
The study also uncovers a startling cause: Human extraction of 2,150 billion metric tons of water from natural reservoirs within the Earth’s crust.
Naturally, most of the water is redirected elsewhere after use. The redistribution of this massive volume has resulted in an offset of the Earth’s axis.
What’s even more concerning is that since 2016, scientists have demonstrated that the Earth’s axis is intimately linked to climate, affecting seasonal weather patterns.
According to Space magazine, the research team is further investigating whether this phenomenon can be considered a contributing factor to long-term climate change.
However, these findings reinforce the warnings from scientists worldwide about the reckless exploitation of water resources and unsustainable water usage, which are posing multiple threats to humanity.
Previously, studies have indicated that human-induced planetary warming through industrial activities and rapid melting of ice caps over the past decades have also contributed to disrupting weight distribution and impacting the Earth’s axis.