00:00We all know that human activity is causing our planet to warm up at an unprecedented rate.
00:09But you probably didn't know that it's also changing the speed and shape of the planet as well.
00:14And the implications of that could be huge.
00:16According to the study's author Duncan Agnew,
00:19enough ice has melted to move sea level enough
00:21that we can actually see the rate of Earth's rotation has been affected.
00:24The researchers conclude that while this won't affect the creatures on the planet
00:27quite like rising sea levels or ecosystems in turmoil,
00:30it will change time as we know it.
00:33Timekeeping is all about the sun's position in the sky in regards to the Earth's rotation,
00:37meaning any change to the Earth's rotation will affect our ability to maintain time as we know it.
00:42Experts have been tracking and adding a second to the atomic timescale
00:45around every one and a half years or so since 1972,
00:48to account for natural misalignments in these readings.
00:51However, in the last eight years, they haven't needed to.
00:54That's because the Earth's rotation is slowing down ever so slightly.
00:58The researchers say that by 2026,
01:00we might actually have to start subtracting a second.
01:03And while it doesn't seem like a big deal,
01:04it might affect things like computing.
01:06Timekeeping is very important,
01:08even in areas where it might seem superfluous,
01:10with financial exchanges and even GPS relying heavily on precise timekeeping,
01:15meaning as the climate change dominoes continue to fall,
01:18humankind could be in for even more surprises.
01:21And if it happens if a man has a tune in the land or so,
01:23and even a day would make
Comments