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."
The system that moves #water around the #Earth is off balance for the first time in human history
The #WaterCycle refers to the complex system by which water moves around the Earth.
By Laura Paddison, CNN
Published Oct 17, 2024
"Humanity has thrown the global water cycle off balance 'for the first time in human history,' fueling a growing water disaster that will wreak havoc on economies, #FoodProduction and lives, according to a landmark new report.
"Decades of destructive #LandUse and #WaterMismanagement have collided with the human-caused #ClimateCrisis to put 'unprecedented stress' on the global water cycle, said the report published Wednesday by the Global Commission on the Economics of Water, a group of international leaders and experts.
"The water cycle refers to the complex system by which water moves around the Earth. Water evaporates from the ground — including from lakes, rivers and plants — and rises into the atmosphere, forming large rivers of water vapor able to travel long distances, before cooling, condensing and eventually falling back to the ground as rain or snow.
"Disruptions to the water cycle are already causing suffering. Nearly 3 billion people face #WaterScarcity. #Crops are shriveling and cities are sinking as the groundwater beneath them dries out.
"The consequences will be even more catastrophic without urgent action. The water crisis threatens more than 50% of global food production and risks shaving an average of 8% off countries’ GDPs by 2050, with much higher losses of up to 15% projected in low-income countries, the report found.
'“For the first time in human history, we are pushing the global water cycle out of balance,' said Johan Rockström, co-chair of the Global Commission on the Economics of Water and a report author. '#Precipitation, the source of all #freshwater, can no longer be relied upon.'
"While the supply of green water has long been overlooked, it is just as important to the water cycle, the report says, as it returns to the atmosphere when plants release water vapor, generating about half of all rainfall over land.
"Disruptions to the water cycle are 'deeply intertwined' with climate change, the report found.
"A stable supply of green water is vital for supporting vegetation that can store planet-heating #carbon. But the damage humans inflict, including destroying #wetlands and tearing down #forests, is depleting these carbon sinks and accelerating #GlobalWarming. In turn, climate change-fueled heat is drying out landscapes, reducing moisture and increasing [#wildfire] risk.
"The crisis is made more urgent by the huge need for water. The report calculates that, on average, people need a minimum of about 4,000 liters (just over 1,000 gallons) a day to lead a 'dignified life,' far above the 50 to 100 liters the United Nations says is needed for basic needs, and more than most regions will be able to provide from local sources.
"Richard Allan, a climate science professor at Reading University, England, said the report 'paints a grim picture of human-caused disruption to the global water cycle, the most precious natural resource that ultimately sustains our livelihoods.'
"Human activities 'are altering the fabric of our land and the air above which is warming the climate, intensifying both wet and dry extremes, and sending wind and rainfall patterns out of kilter,' added Allan, who was not involved in the report.
"The crisis can only be addressed through better management of natural resources and massive cuts in planet-heating pollution, he told CNN.
"The report’s authors say world governments must recognize the water cycle as a '#CommonGood' and address it collectively. Countries are dependent on each other, not only through lakes and rivers that span borders, but also because of water in the atmosphere, which can travel huge distances — meaning decisions made in one country can disrupt rainfall in another.
"The report calls for a 'fundamental regearing of where water sits in economies,' including better pricing to discourage wastefulness and the tendency to plant water-thirsty crops and facilities, such as #DataCenters, in water-stressed regions."