Around the same time that researchers observed the Earth's axis moving in a new direction, the Arctic sea ice also started to melt at a previously unprecedented rate, according to data from NASA. Previous studies have found that groundwater depletion, often the result of massive droughts, can cause rotational poles to move.Ī pretty major source of changing water? Melting ice sheets and glaciers. But something that places a much bigger role in changing the planet's mass is water. Prior research has shown that geophysical activities like earthquakes and other tectonic shifts can play a role in this by moving land around. The poles move to adjust to the shifting shape of the planet, which can change when the Earth's mass changes. Polar drift is something that occurs naturally and usually happens slowly. Researchers found that around the year 2000, the poles started moving in an entirely new direction - and at a rapid pace. Interestingly, as the directional shift was getting faster, it was also getting weirder. They found that between the years 19, the poles have started moving at a rate 17 times faster than they were during the period of 19. Using Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) satellites that are designed to measure and track Earth’s shifting mass, scientists have recorded how the planet's poles have moved over the course of the last decade. Have you been feeling off-kilter lately, like you just can't find your center? Yeah, well, you and the Earth both, buddy! According to a study published in the journal Geophysical Research Letters, the ongoing effects of climate change have literally knocked our planet off its axis and resulted in the rotational poles moving in new directions.
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