Humanity Has Shifted Earth’s Poles by Nearly a Meter Due to Dam Construction
World
Over the past two centuries, humanity has built nearly 7,000 dams, storing such massive volumes of water in reservoirs that the Earth’s rotational axis has shifted by approximately one meter. Researchers highlight this as yet another example of how human activity physically alters the planet.
Although the shift seems minor, it reveals how mass redistribution — even from artificial reservoirs — can affect Earth’s pole movements. This insight is particularly valuable in forecasting the effects of climate change, especially if large ice sheets in Greenland or Antarctica begin to melt rapidly.
This is not the first time human intervention has reshaped the planet’s interior. Earlier studies found that the drying of the Aral Sea led to measurable mantle deformation — a phenomenon once thought unlikely.
This is not the first time human intervention has reshaped the planet’s interior. Earlier studies found that the drying of the Aral Sea led to measurable mantle deformation — a phenomenon once thought unlikely.
Powered by Froala Editor