Posted by
Hemos
on from the getting-flatter-all-the-time dept.
RJG2 writes "MSNBC has an article stating that Earth's gravitational field has changed, becoming stronger towards the equator, thus becoming flatter. The cause has yet to be determined, but it is assumed changes in ocean levels are responsible."
If Global Warming is true, then...
by
fudgefactor7
·
· Score: 1, Interesting
Shouldn't the opposite be happening? Global Warming is being blamed for the melting of the polar caps, if that's the case then shouldn't the gravitational field be even more round?
This reminds me.
by
Kenja
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· Score: 2, Interesting
Aren't we past due for the poles to flip?
--
"Have you ever thought about just turning off the TV, sitting down with your kids, and hitting them?"
That's weird because I just saw a news story yesterday that the Earth is getting FATTER at the equator, due to movement of some magma mass or something. You'd figure gravity would be slightly less as a result. It already bulges out at the equator anyhow.
Change In Time?
by
ackthpt
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· Score: 5, Interesting
I've been hearing about this on the BBC for the past couple of days. The thought that occurred to me was this: if mass is moving from the poles to the equator, will the rotation of the earth slow, even a tiny amount, but enough that we have to adjust time in a few years?
I expect so.
--
A feeling of having made the same mistake before: Deja Foobar
Re:Change In Time?
by
Fenris2001
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· Score: 3, Interesting
In short - yes. But it won't have any major effect. The number of seconds in a year already fluctuates as large weather systems (El Nino) change the amount of water vapor in the atmosphere. Like a spinning ballet dancer extending her arms, excess water in the atmosphere near the Equator causes the Earth's rotation to slow. However, the total change is miniscule - something like half a nanosecond per year. Particle physicists and others who need extremely accurate measures of time make adjustments for these effects. The rest of us don't notice.
Re:Change In Time?
by
alchemist68
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· Score: 1, Interesting
Since the 1970s, we've lost around 20 seconds in the day. The loss of time throughout the day has not been linear through the years, suggesting that there are complex systems at work that need further study and modeling.
Maybe its because
by
Ark42
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· Score: 1, Interesting
A star or planet or something that is now closer then it was before is tugging at the Earth as it spins, causing it to bulge out towards whatever is pulling at it?
Ocean levels?
by
Arandir
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· Score: 3, Interesting
What changes in ocean levels? Did this just happen yesterday or something?
Considering that I live at an altitude of 20 feet and one mile from the ocean, I would think I would be one of the first people to know if the ocean level was changing. From what I can tell, the level of the Pacific Ocean is still the same as it was when I was a kid.
-- A Government Is a Body of People, Usually Notably Ungoverned
If you're referring to a differential gravitational attraction similar to that involved in Roche Limit" deformation of orbiting bodies, then no. What you're suggesting implies that the gravitational pull on the equator is significantly stronger than that on the polar regions. Since gravitational attraction drops off exponentially as the distance between the two bodies increases, that kind of differential pull only occurs when the gravitational bodies are relatively-speaking quite close together.
Perhaps if the moon had suddenly increased in mass a thousand-fold, but not possible due to distant stars or planets.
-- "So on one hand, honey is an amazingly sophisticated and efficient food source. On the other hand it's bee backwash."
Re:Magnetic Pole Changing
by
Zone5
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· Score: 4, Interesting
Actually, the polarity supposedly switches roughly every 200,000 years, and according to that school of thought we're currently way overdue to the tune of about 780,000 years. See here.
Assuming you believe all that, of course. As far as I know it's just a theory.
-- "So on one hand, honey is an amazingly sophisticated and efficient food source. On the other hand it's bee backwash."
Actually its pretty scary...
by
Evil+Pete
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· Score: 5, Interesting
There appears to be a movement of a huge mass from the poles to the equator over the last 4 years. The article describes how they excluded the obvious culprits: melting ice, earth movements, atmosphere etc. And finally concluded that it is related to ocean circulation. Now that gives me the creeps!
Why the creeps? Because ocean circulation changes can happen relatively quickly and are implicated in the starting / stopping of ice ages. They are crucial indicators for climate change. And when the ocean circulation changes there is nothing humans can do about it.
Hopefully it either isn't the oceans or if it is it wont have a serious effect (dont believe my own words here... but it sounds comforting). Whatever, this requires some serious investigation, just hope they got it wrong.
Slashdot Mirror
Shouldn't the opposite be happening? Global Warming is being blamed for the melting of the polar caps, if that's the case then shouldn't the gravitational field be even more round?
Aren't we past due for the poles to flip?
"Have you ever thought about just turning off the TV, sitting down with your kids, and hitting them?"
That's weird because I just saw a news story yesterday that the Earth is getting FATTER at the equator, due to movement of some magma mass or something. You'd figure gravity would be slightly less as a result. It already bulges out at the equator anyhow.
I expect so.
A feeling of having made the same mistake before: Deja Foobar
A star or planet or something that is now closer then it was before is tugging at the Earth as it spins, causing it to bulge out towards whatever is pulling at it?
Morphing Software
What changes in ocean levels? Did this just happen yesterday or something?
Considering that I live at an altitude of 20 feet and one mile from the ocean, I would think I would be one of the first people to know if the ocean level was changing. From what I can tell, the level of the Pacific Ocean is still the same as it was when I was a kid.
A Government Is a Body of People, Usually Notably Ungoverned
If you're referring to a differential gravitational attraction similar to that involved in Roche Limit" deformation of orbiting bodies, then no. What you're suggesting implies that the gravitational pull on the equator is significantly stronger than that on the polar regions. Since gravitational attraction drops off exponentially as the distance between the two bodies increases, that kind of differential pull only occurs when the gravitational bodies are relatively-speaking quite close together.
Perhaps if the moon had suddenly increased in mass a thousand-fold, but not possible due to distant stars or planets.
"So on one hand, honey is an amazingly sophisticated and efficient food source. On the other hand it's bee backwash."
Actually, the polarity supposedly switches roughly every 200,000 years, and according to that school of thought we're currently way overdue to the tune of about 780,000 years. See here.
Assuming you believe all that, of course. As far as I know it's just a theory.
"So on one hand, honey is an amazingly sophisticated and efficient food source. On the other hand it's bee backwash."
There appears to be a movement of a huge mass from the poles to the equator over the last 4 years. The article describes how they excluded the obvious culprits: melting ice, earth movements, atmosphere etc. And finally concluded that it is related to ocean circulation. Now that gives me the creeps!
Why the creeps? Because ocean circulation changes can happen relatively quickly and are implicated in the starting / stopping of ice ages. They are crucial indicators for climate change. And when the ocean circulation changes there is nothing humans can do about it.
Hopefully it either isn't the oceans or if it is it wont have a serious effect (dont believe my own words here ... but it sounds comforting). Whatever, this requires some serious investigation, just hope they got it wrong.
Bitter and proud of it.