<h5>What do we know about the Earth’s poles?</h5><p>The two locations on our planet's surface that are at the very top and bottom are known as the poles. They are called the North and South Poles. The North Pole is the northernmost point on the Earth's axis. The axis is an imaginary line that runs from the North Pole to the South Pole through the centre of the Earth.</p><p>The planet rotates around this imaginary line. The North Pole is situated in the Arctic Ocean and is surrounded by a massive sheet of floating ice. No land is present at the North Pole. Countries such as Canada, Russia, and Greenland are located around the North Pole.</p><div class="raw-html-embed"><figure> <iframe width="100%" height="350" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/TezADzwNZpg" title="Earth's Rotation Animation" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen=""></iframe><figcaption>Animation showing the Earth spinning. Video by OkraJoe.!</figcaption></figure></div><p>The South Pole is located far south on a frozen continent known as Antarctica. Antarctica is covered in thick ice and is home to penguins, seals, etc. The poles have a large impact on the planet’s weather and climate.</p><p>A recent study published in Geophysical Research Letters discovered that Earth's poles have shifted, causing the planet to tilt roughly 80 centimetres (cm) eastward.</p><h5>What is the cause behind this tilt?</h5><p>Research says the reason behind this shift is rising sea levels and increased groundwater extraction in India and the United States of America (USA). This has caused the Earth's poles to move. Between 1993 and 2010, Earth's residents drew so much groundwater that the poles drifted.</p><p>The main cause behind sea-level rise is the melting of polar ice sheets and glaciers. However, excessive groundwater extraction has also been identified as a cause behind rising sea levels.</p><h5>How do rising sea levels and groundwater extraction cause the Earth’s poles to drift?</h5><p>Groundwater is generally extracted for irrigation purposes. This water eventually flows into larger bodies of water, contributing to rising sea levels. Now let’s see how it causes our planet to tilt.</p><p>The Earth rotates like a spinning top. When we add weight to a spinning top, it starts spinning differently. This is because the weight changes its balance. Similarly, the distribution of water on our planet influences how weight is distributed. The movement of water on Earth can produce minor changes in the way our planet spins.</p><p>If large amounts of groundwater move to the sea, the weight of the oceans increases while the land becomes lighter. This causes the Earth’s poles to drift, making the planet tilt differently on its axis. Even if it is by merely 80 cm.</p><p>Groundwater being extracted and eventually flowing into oceans and seas is making the continents lighter. The research has found that large volumes of groundwater were extracted in western North America and northwestern India, affecting the Earth’s spinning.</p><h5>How will this polar shift affect our planet?</h5><p>This kind of change does happen every year. So, there is no need to worry, as it won’t have a catastrophic effect on the planet. But this research gives us a tool for studying humanity's past groundwater use.</p><p>However, researchers have warned nations to take protective measures against climate change and groundwater depletion. This is because a major shift of the Earth’s poles in the future can be hazardous to the planet and its climate.</p>

Scientists have found that the tilt of the Earth’s axis has also changed.

The Earth's Poles Have Shifted Slightly

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The Earth's Poles Have Shifted Slightly

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