China Built a Dam So Massive That Experts Say It's Slowing Down the Earth's Rotation
Earth-Shifting Dam
The Three Gorges Dam on the Yangtze River was finished in 2006 by the Chinese government. It is known as the largest active hydroelectric project in the world, according to the NASA Earth Observatory. The massive dam uniquely impacts the world due to its humongous size. The planet's rotation is affected by how water in the dam affects the distribution of mass on Earth, IFL Science reported. Experts believe that such a phenomenon might cause people on Earth to reduce a minute to just 59 seconds within a day's assigned 24 hours.
Three Gorges Dam
The Three Gorges Dam is about 594 feet (181 meters) in height and 7,770 feet (2,335 meters) in length, USGS reported. The dam causes the formation of a reservoir that has a surface area of about 400 square miles (1,045 square kilometers). In 2012, the Three Gorges Dam became the dam with the highest production of hydroelectricity, replacing the Itaipú hydroelectric power plant in Brazil and Paraguay which had previously held the position. The generating capacity of the Three Gorges Dam was determined to be 22,500 megawatts (MW) compared to 14,000 MW for the Itaipu Dam.
Impact on Earth's Rotation
In 2005, NASA in a post explained that altering the distribution of mass on Earth can impact the planet's moment of inertia (resistance shown by an object to changes in its rotational movement). Dr. Benjamin Fong Chao, of NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, stated that the gorge holding 40 cubic kilometers (10 trillion gallons) of water will result in a shifting of mass that would increase the length of the day by 0.06 microseconds. The mass shift caused by the water in the dam jiggles the seismic structure of the planet, which ultimately results in slowing down the rotation undertaken by Earth on its axis as per experts, IFL Science reported. "Any worldly event that involves the movement of mass affects the Earth's rotation, from seasonal weather down to driving a car," Chao explained.
Future Changes
Scientists are not worried about the present changes brought on by structures like the Three Gorges Dam, but do believe that future ramifications must not be ignored, IFL Science reported. NASA in their post explained that a shift in mass, not only causes changes in Earth's rotation but also impacts the planet's shape. The water in the Three Gorges Dam makes Earth slightly more round in the middle and flat on the top. This shifts the pole position on the planet by two centimeters (0.8 inches), according to the experts. All of these 'changes' over time influence the movements taken into consideration for organizing 'days' and 'years' in society. To counter these slight modifications, scientists have suggested that authorities begin to account for a negative leap second – ie. a minute with just 59 seconds, within the '24' hours.
Climate Change Effect
Human actions like climate change are also causing a similar effect on the Earth's rotation, IFL Science reported. Global warming leads to phenomena like the melting of ice caps and a rise in tropical sea levels, facilitating the accumulation of more mass at the planet’s equator than at its poles. The movement of mass from the poles to the equator, results in Earth slowing down during its rotation, and the 'day' extending slightly from 24 hours.