Ummmm... Earth Has Tilted 31.5 Inches. That Shouldn’t Happen. Can we fix it back?
By Tim Newcomb, Published: Nov 15, 2025
Here’s what you’ll learn when you read this story:
When humans pump #groundwater, it has a substantial impact on the tilt of Earth’s rotation.
Additionally, a study documents just how much of an influence groundwater pumping has on #ClimateChange.
Understanding this relatively recent data may provide a better understanding of how to help stave off #SeaLevelRise."
"NASA research published in 2016 alerted us to the fact that the distribution of water can change the Earth’s rotation. This study in Geophysical Research Letters attempts to add some hard figures to that realization. 'I’m very glad to find the unexplained cause of the rotation pole drift,' Seo says. 'On the other hand, as a resident of Earth and a father, I’m concerned and surprised to see that pumping groundwater is another source of sea-level rise.'
"The study included data from 1993 through 2010, and showed that the pumping of as much as 2,150 gigatons of groundwater has caused a change in the Earth’s tilt of roughly 31.5 inches. The pumping is largely for irrigation and human use, with the groundwater eventually relocating to the oceans.
In the study, researchers modeled observed changes in the drift of Earth’s rotational pole and the movement of water. Across varying scenarios, the only model that matched the drift was one that included 2,150 gigatons of groundwater distribution."
#ClimateChange a 5th of the world will be unhabitable by the end of the century. #SeaLevelRise
will be up to 7m. weather patterns permanently unstable & intensifying, dislocating whole countries' populations.
there'll be no where to run.
#GifsArtidote: my motto #ChangeTheWorldStartWithYourSelf i am practicing myself. if i want to reach my potential & stop my behaviour cycle of death, i have to make drastic changes..
In less than two decades, Earth has tilted 31.5 inches as a result of pumping groundwater, equating to .24 inches of sea level rise, according to new study in the journal Geophysical Research Letters.
Sea levels are already rising due to run-off from melting land ice due to climate change, and due to thermal expansion of sea water, the latter causing roughly one-third of sea level rise. The hotter it gets, the more water expands.