Earth suddenly spinning faster

Why ?

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In the 1960’s, scientists began measuring the planet’s rotation with high-precision atomic clocks.

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And on June 29 this year, the Earth racked up an unusual record: its shortest day since then, rotating 1.59 milliseconds less than 24 hours.

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July 26 neared the newly-set record, at 1.50 milliseconds shorter than usual. So, why is the  Earth spinning faster? 

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Scientists are not completely certain, but they have a few possible explanations.

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Some experts believe the melting and refreezing of ice caps could be contributing to the irregular speed, according to the New York Post

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Some experts believe the melting and refreezing of ice caps could be contributing to the irregular speed, according to the New York Post

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Earthquakes can also make the days shorter. The 2004 earthquake that unleashed a tsunami in the Indian Ocean shifted enough rock to shorten the length of the day by nearly three microseconds.

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Also known as the Chandler variation of latitude, the “Chandler Wobble” is a natural shifting of the Earth’s axis due to the planet not being perfectly spherical, and could be linked to the spinning speeds

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On the other hand, stronger winds in ‘El Niño’ years can slow down the planet’s spin, extending the day by a fraction of a millisecond, according to NASA.

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Basically anything that moves mass towards the centre of the Earth will speed up the planet’s rotation, much as a spinning ice skater speeds up when they pull in their arms.

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The moon is mostly to blame for the effect: the gravitational tug slightly distorts the planet, producing tidal friction that steadily slows the Earth’s rotation.

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The first leap second was added in 1972. The next opportunity is in December 2022, although with Earth spinning so fast of late, it is unlikely to be needed.

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If Earth spins faster, then it gets to the same position a little earlier. A half-a-millisecond equates to 10-inches or 26 centimetres at the equator. In short, GPS satellites would become useless.

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To solve all this, if the trend for shorter days carries on for long, it could lead to calls for the first “negative leap second”. Instead of adding a second to clocks, civil time would skip a second to keep up with the faster-spinning planet.