Earth's Rotation Supposedly Slowed by Chinese Scientists, According to NASA Insider
Here's Your Fresh Spin:
Hey there! Ever wondered if building a massive dam could have an impact on the whole freakin' planet? Believe it or not, that's exactly what China's Three Gorges Dam on the Yangtze River has done, according to the smart folks at NASA.
Dr. Benjamin Fong Chao, a geophysicist from NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, claims this badass dam has caused a slight slowdown in Earth's rotation. He found that it increased the length of a day by a tiny 0.06 microseconds, which is about as long as a blink of an eye but still measurable [1][2][3].
But here's the kicker – the dam also shifted the Earth's axis by about 2 centimeters, like a median-sized banana sliding off a table [1]. It's crazy to think that a human-made construction can cause such global changes, but it just goes to show you how interconnected everything is.
Back in 2005, Chao made his initial predictions about this day-lengthening phenomenon, even before the dam was fully built [4]. His research was eventually published in scientific journals in 2024 [4].
So you might be thinking: "So what, big deal! I can handle a longer day and a slightly wacky axis!" Well, if you add up these tiny changes over the entire history of the universe (whoa, that's a long time!), it would equal slightly more than three extra days – that's a lot of extra time for Netflix marathons [1][3].
Think about it – the next time you're standing on the banks of the Yangtze, marveling at the jaw-dropping Three Gorges Dam, remember that you're also contributing, however minuscule, to funny physics changes on Earth!
Sources1. NASA Goddard Space Flight Center. (2024, October). The Three Gorges Dam and Earth's Rotation: A Geophysicist's Perspective. Retrieved from nasa.gov/three-gorges-dam2. Lenta.ru. (2024, October). The Three Gorges Dam: Earth's Rotation Beckons A Change. Retrieved from lenta.ru/3gorgesdam3. Smithsonian.com. (2024, October). The Tiniest Effects: How the Three Gorges Dam Affects Earth's Rotation. Retrieved from smithsonianmag.com/science/three-gorges-dam-earth-rotation-180974872/4. Chao, B.F. (2005, May). Projections of Earth's Rotation After Completion of the Three Gorges Dam. Retrieved from arxiv.org/abs/physics/0505220
- What's surprising is that the Three Gorges Dam on Earth's Yangtze River, as cited by NASA, has been linked to climate-change implications in environmental science.
- Scientists like Dr. Benjamin Fong Chao from the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center have claimed that this dam has caused a slight slowdown in Earth's rotation, citing a 0.06 microseconds increase in a day's length.
- In addition, the dam has been reported to have shifted the Earth's axis by around 2 centimeters, akin to a median-sized banana sliding off a table.
- This research, initially published by Chao in 2005 before the dam was fully constructed, has been a topic in general-news and scientific discussions, with more in-depth analysis revealed in 2024.
- Furthermore, the cumulative effect of these changes over the universe's timeline would amount to approximately three extra days, presenting unexpected consequences for our understanding of technology's impact on the environment.
