The Three Gorges Dam in central China is not only the largest hydroelectric dam on Earth but also has a surprising effect on the planet’s rotation. According to NASA, filling its massive reservoir causes a slight shift in the Earth’s rotation, increasing the length of each day by 0.06 microseconds.
Standing 185 meters tall and spanning over 2 kilometers across the Yangtze River, the dam is an engineering marvel that has revolutionized energy production in China. Completed in 2012 after nearly two decades of construction, it can hold an astonishing 40 billion cubic meters of water.
The dam’s impact extends beyond its physical scale, with NASA revealing that the immense mass of water displaced by the dam alters the Earth’s rotation. This phenomenon is tied to the moment of inertia, a principle governing rotational dynamics.
While the change is imperceptible in daily life, it highlights humanity’s capacity to influence planetary mechanics on a cosmic scale. The Three Gorges Dam is just one example of human activity leaving measurable fingerprints on the Earth’s rotation and axis over the decades.
Other examples include the 2004 Indonesian Tsunami, which displaced the North Pole by 2.5 cm and shortened Earth’s days by 2.68 microseconds, and groundwater extraction, which has caused sea levels to rise and shifted the Earth’s axis towards the east.
These findings demonstrate that even the largest-scale engineering projects can have consequences reaching far beyond their intended purpose. The Three Gorges Dam is a monumental symbol of human innovation, but it also serves as a reminder of our influence on the planet’s most fundamental systems.
Source: https://dailygalaxy.com/2024/12/fit-for-a-sci-fi-movie-nasa-claims-china-can-slow-down-earths-rotation-with-a-single-gesture/