How melting glaciers have accelerated a shift in Earth’s axis

The redistribution of water has caused the planet to lean and wobble, resulting in the poles moving

The axis of the Earth has shifted and moved the locations of the north and south poles. The poles have always wandered very gradually on the globe but in 1995 the north pole turned away from Canada towards Russia and accelerated over the next 15 years, 17 times faster than the previous 15 years.

The distribution of water over the planet is a big driving force behind this shift, by changing the way mass is distributed around the world. The Earth spins around on its axis like a spinning top, and if its weight is shifted around on the globe it starts to lean and wobble, changing the axis and poles.

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from The Guardian https://ift.tt/3f0FL1A