- The Three Gorges Dam in China has caused a measurable change in the Earth's rotation and axis.
- This impact is due to the enormous volume of stored water, which alters the planet's moment of inertia.
- NASA compared the dam's effect to that of major earthquakes, such as the one in Indonesia in 2004.
- Changes like this, although microscopic, are detected by high-precision instruments and may require adjustments to systems such as GPS and atomic clocks.
Since its inauguration, the Three Gorges Dam In China, it has been the subject of numerous debates not only because of its imposing size and power generation capacity, but also because of its physical impact on the planet. Recently, research led by the NASA have confirmed that Human constructions of this magnitude can alter fundamental parameters of the Earth, although in a minuscule way and hardly noticeable in daily life.
The phenomenon has attracted the attention of both scientists and the general public. The Three Gorges Dam, located on the Yangtze River, has shown that human action can modify, even slightly, the speed of rotation of our planet and the position of its axisThis finding raises new questions about To what extent gigantic infrastructures can influence the physical balance of the Earth.
Why does a dam affect the Earth's rotation?
The physical basis behind the effect of the Chinese dam in the Earth's rotation is based on the massive displacement of water. According to calculations made by NASA, the dam can store up to 40 cubic kilometers of water, equivalent to tens of trillions of liters. This enormous volume of water, stored at more than 175 meters above sea level, modifies how the planet's mass is distributed, altering the so-called moment of inertia.
To explain it in a simple way, experts use the example of a ice skater: If you bring your arms closer to your body, you spin faster; if you stretch them out, you slow down the rotation. The redistribution of these large amounts of water causes the Earth spins a little slower.
El NASA report concludes that, when the reservoir is completely filled, the day has lengthened by approximately 0,06 microseconds. In addition, the position of the Earth's axis has shifted around two centimeters and the planet has become slightly more rounded at the equator and flattened at the poles. This discovery reveals how large human infrastructures can affect planetary physics.
The fact that an engineering project has similar—albeit much smaller—effects to major earthquakes is a telling fact about human capacity to influence the planet. The 2004 Indonesian earthquake, for example, reduced the length of the day by just under 3 microseconds., while the effect of the dam is smaller but still measurable.
Implications of this change for science and technology
Why does such a small variation matter? Although these changes do not affect daily life, the most advanced measurement systems in the world depend on extreme accuracyExamples are: atomic clocks, global positioning systems (GPS) and other scientific devices. NASA specialists have explained that these changes, when combined with other phenomena (such as the melting of the poles or the displacement of large land masses), can require recalibrating and adjusting these instruments to maintain its long-term accuracy.
Furthermore, the impact of a work like the Three Gorges Dam on the axis and the Earth's rotation indicates the need to consider the geophysical effect of future megaconstructionsThe variability of the planetary moment of inertia could influence historical records and the coordination of international scientific and technological systems.
A milestone in the interaction between humanity and the planet
Experts like Dr. Benjamin Fong Chao, from the Goddard Space Flight Center, have made it clear that any significant movement of mass on Earth —whether due to natural or artificial causes—produces effects on the planet's rotation. What is new in this case is that A human-made infrastructure has, on a small scale, equalized the impact of major natural disasters. in terrestrial dynamics.
The dam, completed in 2012 and considered the most powerful hydroelectric power plant in the world, not only stands out for its dimensions (more than 2.300 meters long and 185 meters high), but also for its ability to transform the environment around it. It has improved flood control, enabled large-scale river transport, and supplied electricity to entire regions. However, its global effect on Earth reinforces the message that human actions can have consequences beyond the visible.
The case of the Three Gorges Dam highlights the importance of studying and monitoring how large-scale engineering projects interact with planetary geophysical processesAlthough the change may be small, current technical advances allow us to detect and understand it; knowledge that will likely be vital for managing future infrastructure on the planet.
The possibility that megaconstructions can influence such fundamental aspects as the earth rotation reminds us that technological and human intervention capacity continues to grow, as well as the responsibility to consider all the long-term effects on our global environment.
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