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Is The Earth's Rotation Changing?

Roland Piquepaille writes "We all know about the current controversies associated with the ozone layer or the global warming phenomenon. Now, the NASA's Earth Science Enterprise (ESE) is warning us that atmospheric changes or El Niño events can affect the Earth's rotation. During El Niño years, for example, the rotation of the Earth may slow ever so slightly because of stronger winds, increasing the length of a day by a fraction of a millisecond. David A. Salstein, an atmospheric scientist from Atmospheric and Environmental Research, Inc., led a recent study about this possible effect. Salstein looked at meteorological and astronomical measurements from different sources and found they were in good agreement. Check this column for a synthesis. For technical explanations, images and animations, please read this NASA paper, Changes in the Earth's rotation are in the wind."

15 of 372 comments (clear)

  1. well known by lovebyte · · Score: 5, Funny

    This has been known since 1951.

    --

    I'll do it for cheesy poofs.

    1. Re:well known by trotski · · Score: 5, Funny

      Pfffff..... how can the earth rotate if the earth is flat?!?! The realities of the earth have been established a long time ago; it is a plane board, sort of like a game board mounted on top of an infinate tower of turtles. All this stuff about the earth being round? Reactionary bull shit. Check out the truth:

      A flat earth, it's not just a good idea; it's the truth.

      --

      "Entropy is the bad-guy, and he is everywhere"
  2. Days getting longer? by kaszeta · · Score: 5, Funny

    The days are getting longer? Cool, I could use an extra five minutes each day to read Slashdot...

  3. SUPERMAN! by Acidic_Diarrhea · · Score: 5, Funny

    I wish Superman would get off his ass and do that whole 'spin-the-world' backwards so we could go back in time and prevent the term 'El Nino' from being invented - which so many bad stand-up comics have used to no end. Also, I would not buy my Voodoo 3 card.

    --
    I hate liberals. If you are a liberal, do not reply.
  4. Wait a second... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    this is really just a fake news to hype up "The Core", isn't it?

  5. OK, there's only one way to solve this ... by BabyDave · · Score: 4, Funny

    Everybody run east as fast as you can, to speed the Earth up again!

    /me waits for hundreds of pedantic comments explaining why this wouldn't work

    1. Re:OK, there's only one way to solve this ... by unicron · · Score: 4, Funny

      This wouldn't work. The majority of /. readers, myself included, upon running would either have a heart attack, puke, or just get bored and go home.

      --
      Finally, math books without any of that base 6 crap in them.
  6. Re:Hey, subscriptions aren't working... by arnie_apesacrappin · · Score: 4, Funny
    cause I don't have one, and the title is a red-bar

    Try moving towards the screen really fast. It should look green then. Of course, make sure you stop before you run into the screen, because a collision with a monitor at speeds close to the speed of light might hurt.

    --

    Still, with a plan, you only get the best you can imagine. I'd always hoped for something better than that. -CP

  7. Re:Oh great, by stinky+wizzleteats · · Score: 5, Funny

    This is clearly a problem with SUVs. A vehicle as heavy as an SUV puts down a trememdous amount of torque when it moves, and this action, combined with the great suburban conspiracy of living to the East of their workplace (you go faster going home, so more torque to slow down the Earth), are creating this problem.

  8. Re:Well, duh by Jugalator · · Score: 4, Funny

    In two months.

    http://www.poleshiftprepare.com/poleshift.htm

    "I myself have outstanding personal knowledge and conviction that the cataclysms will occur in May 2003, which is why I am openly stating this on the Internet, and appealing to similar individuals who wish to take steps in preparing for it."

    IT MAY SEEM FUNY NOW BUT U THANK HIM & HIS OUTSTNADING CONVICTION TO TELL US ON TEH INTRANET WHEN TEH POLE SHFITS MAY 2003!!!11 PREPAR URSELF!!!

    ^-- How my IQ dropped after reading his article... I guess it's the Internet we love and hate. :-) Don't forget to visit the main page either, complete with pictures of his Survival Tents. This sure is stuff for Something Awful. =)

    --
    Beware: In C++, your friends can see your privates!
  9. People banging on about el nino by alnapp · · Score: 3, Funny

    and other climatic changes certainly make the day seem longer

  10. Does this mean .... by Spacelord · · Score: 3, Funny

    Okay ... so the days are getting longer, but what I want to know is: does this mean that I get to sleep a bit longer every night or do I have to work a bit longer every day??

  11. Re:Oh great, by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Funny

    But given a random distribution on the direction of movement of all the SUVs, it'd balance itself out.

    I mean if 25% are going due north, 25% due south, 25% east, 25% west then the net effect would be 0.

    I'm more worried that people in North America are getting fatter, making the earth lopsided. So far it's just USA and Canada putting on the weight. Luckily those earth-conscious Mexicans are starving themselves to counter the effect.

  12. All together now... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    Ok, everyone, all over the planet...

    Face east, and...

    BLOW...

    now face west and...

    SUCK
    ...and ... EAST ... BLOW! ... WEST ... SUCK! ... EAST...

  13. Every week by rgf71 · · Score: 5, Funny

    I've known this for eons. The earth's rotation slows down to a crawl every Monday, and then speeds up really really fast on Saturday/Sunday. Then it slows down again come Monday morning.