Scientists have recently revealed that the Earth has started spinning faster, which will inevitably affect the hours we have in a day.
As of yet, scientists don’t know why the Earth’s rotation has sped up.
But they believe it could be due to the ‘Chandler wobble’ phenomenon.
What is the Chandler wobble you ask?
The Chandler wobble is a minor deviation in the Earth’s axis of rotation relative to solid Earth (the Earth beneath our feet).
What causes Chandler wobble?
The Chandler wobble is usually caused by fluctuating pressure on the seabed, which, in turn, is caused by changes in the ocean’s circulation caused by variations in temperature, salinity, and wind.
Another reason for the cause of Chandler wobble, scientists believe, could be down to climate change.
Climate change has had a significant impact on Earth’s environment and now could potentially be the cause of us losing those long summer days.
But Judah Levine, a professor at the University of Colorado-Boulder and an expert at the National Institute of Standard and Technology, says otherwise.
Levine believes that the Earth’s atmosphere has a significant role in why the Earth is rotating faster than usual.
“The sum of those two is constant, which means, for example, if the atmosphere slows down then the Earth speeds. Or conversely, if the atmosphere speeds up, the Earth slows down,” said Levine.
But what does this all mean for time-keeping?
Never to fear, as experts say it’s nothing to be concerned about as the impact of this situation will only affect a fraction of a second over a year.