Climate change alters the shape of our planet.
Polar ice melt raises the poles and shrinks the equatorial bulge, while shifting ocean mass causes net flattening.
OriginalSourceLive ScienceUnited StatesLeanCenterCredibilityPublished10:00 UTCRatings: AllSides, MBFCSourceLive ScienceUnited StatesLeanCenterCredibilityPublished10:00 UTCRatings: AllSides, MBFC
“Climate change is literally altering the shape of our planet”
Earth is getting rounder due to polar ice melt, study finds
Key points
- New research shows Earth’s shape is rounding faster due to polar ice melt.
- Poles are rising and the equator's bulge is shrinking by about 1 mm per year between 2011 and 2015.
- Overall, solid Earth rounding accelerates by roughly 0.4 mm per year each decade.
- Ocean mass shift toward the equator counteracts solid Earth rounding, making net flattening occur.
- GNSS data and gravity measurements are used together to track changes in Earth’s shape.
How it got here
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7 7 Climate change alters the shape of our planet.
Polar ice melt raises the poles and shrinks the equatorial bulge, while shifting ocean mass causes net flattening.