"Human-Induced Climate Change Alters Earth's Timekeeping"
TL;DR
Polar ice melt driven by climate change is affecting Earth's rotation, leading to a potential need to "skip" a second in 2029 to adjust timekeeping. This human-driven change in Earth's rotation, a first of its kind, may impact computing. The melting ice is causing the planet to grow wider around the middle, slowing its rotation, and as a result, the need for leap seconds may pose significant challenges for precise timekeeping in critical digital infrastructure.
Topics:top-newsscience-and-environment#climate-change#earths-rotation#leap-second#polar-ice-melt#science-and-environment#timekeeping
- Human activities are changing Earth's spin and how we keep time Business Insider
- Climate change could affect timekeeping, study says BBC.com
- It's time to leave the leap second in the past Facebook Engineering
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