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China's Monster Three Gorges Dam Is About To Slow The Rotation Of The Earth
The Business Insider ^ | 6-18-2010 | Cutler Cleveland, The Energy Watch

Posted on 06/18/2010 7:01:52 AM PDT by blam

China's Monster Three Gorges Dam Is About To Slow The Rotation Of The Earth

Cutler Cleveland, The Energy Watch
Jun. 18, 2010, 9:23 AM

The Myth: The filling of the reservoir behind Three Gorges Dam in China changed the rotation of the Earth.

The Evidence: Three Gorges Dam, China crosses the Yangtze River in Hubei province, China. It the world’s largest hydroelectric power station by total capacity, which will be 22,500 MW when completed. When the water level is maximum at 175 meters (574 ft) over sea level (91 meters (299 ft) above river level), the reservoir created by the dam is about 660 kilometers (410 mi) in length and 1.12 kilometers (0.70 mi) in width on average. The total surface area of the reservoir is 1045 square kilometers, and it will will flood a total area of 632 square kilometers, of land. The reservoir will contain about 39.3 cu km (9.43 cubic miles) of water. That water will weigh more than 39 trillion kilograms (42 billion tons).

A shift in a mass of that size would affect the rotation of the Earth due to a phenomena known as the moment of inertia, which is the inertia of a rigid rotating body with respect to its rotation. The moment of inertia of an object about a given axis describes how difficult it is to change its angular motion about that axis. The longer the distance of a mass to its axis of rotation, the slower it will spin. You may not know it, but you see examples of this in everyday life. For example, a figure skater attempting to spin faster will draw her arms tight to her bodies

[snip]

The Verdict: True.

This is a guest post from The Energy Watch.

[snip]

(Excerpt) Read more at businessinsider.com ...


TOPICS: News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: china; dam; earth; threegorges
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To: jurroppi1

We would need a leap second every 45.45 years..........


41 posted on 06/18/2010 7:48:42 AM PDT by Red Badger (No, Obama's not the Antichrist. He's just some guy in the neighborhood.............)
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To: Lazamataz

I trust you’ll find a way to put it to good use!


42 posted on 06/18/2010 7:50:06 AM PDT by pingman (Price is what you pay, value is what you get.)
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To: Kenny Bunk

I also recommend “Under the Grandstand” by Seymour Butts.


43 posted on 06/18/2010 7:50:33 AM PDT by DH (The government writes no bill that does not line the pockets of special interests.)
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To: cripplecreek
Quite right. This dam is a drop in the ocean compared to what the Moon is doing to us.

http://www.astronomy.ohio-state.edu/~pogge/Ast161/Unit4/tides.html - (see Tidal Braking)

So in some billions of years (about the time the Sun is slated to go nova), the Moon will be about half again as far away from us as it is now (no more total Solar eclipses!), the Earth's rotation will be exactly the same as the Moon's orbital period (around 47 of our current days by then). You'll be in daylight for around 23 days, then in darkness for about 23 more, and the Moon will appear to hang over one spot on the Earth all the time.

So damn dam may hasten that moment by...what...a few years?...big deal.

44 posted on 06/18/2010 7:53:11 AM PDT by niteowl (Wisdom comes in two parts: 1) Having a lot to say, and 2) not saying it.)
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To: blam

I tend to say it might increase the precession of the rotation of the Earth thereby altering our orbit around the Sun a little quicker resulting in the expediting of the next ice age.


45 posted on 06/18/2010 7:54:40 AM PDT by Jack Hydrazine (It's the end of the world as we know it and I feel fine!)
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To: cripplecreek

“I believe the moon/earth/tide action is slowing the earth down and sending the moon further away.”

That’s correct. The Moon moves away from the Earth about 2 inches annually.


46 posted on 06/18/2010 7:57:30 AM PDT by Jack Hydrazine (It's the end of the world as we know it and I feel fine!)
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To: Jack Hydrazine
That’s correct. The Moon moves away from the Earth about 2 inches annually.

Maybe I should bathe more often.
47 posted on 06/18/2010 7:59:01 AM PDT by cripplecreek (Remember the River Raisin! (look it up))
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To: Red Badger

It does to Brat, the assault kitten, too, when it comes to tuna.

Technical details depend on the application and requirements, of course.


48 posted on 06/18/2010 7:59:28 AM PDT by benewton (Life sucks, then you die)
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To: Red Badger
We haven't been getting many leap seconds lately, I say we need more!

WIKI Leap Second

see the table on the right near the top of the page.

49 posted on 06/18/2010 7:59:46 AM PDT by jurroppi1 (America, do not commit Barry Care-y!)
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To: righttackle44; Kenny Bunk; Cold Heart; RC2
"Well, we know how well Chinese engineering stands up in earthquakes."

Correct. For all their effort, this level of engineering often seems ultimately beyond them. The endemic corruption, cutting corners, etc. all end up going badly in the end.

From their past actions, it's pretty obvious that the Chinese government could care less if millions of their own citizens get obliterated if this monstrosity fails. The "international community" would show more sympathy than the bastards in Bejing. As much as I don't like to admit it, I wouldn't be shedding any tears. The Chinese are not our friends.

50 posted on 06/18/2010 8:00:46 AM PDT by Joe Brower (Sheep have three speeds: "graze", "stampede" and "cower".)
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To: Kenny Bunk

Kennebunk;
Showing your age with that one...


51 posted on 06/18/2010 8:04:30 AM PDT by late bloomer ( Neglegere homo pone aulaeum. semi-retired warlord)
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To: Joe Brower

That would be pretty cool to see the world’s largest civil engineering project be destroyed by an EQ (not for the deaths it would cause).


52 posted on 06/18/2010 8:06:49 AM PDT by Jack Hydrazine (It's the end of the world as we know it and I feel fine!)
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To: blam

I am going to a beef fest this weekend. How much should I consume to compensate for this dam thing.


53 posted on 06/18/2010 8:09:02 AM PDT by Colvin (Proud Owner '66 Binder PU, '66 Binder Travelall,)
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To: Jack Hydrazine
it might increase the precession of the rotation of the Earth

Stop Global Wobbling! Within 100 years the wobble will reach a tipping point and Earth will flip on her side causing the polar ice cap to shake off.

54 posted on 06/18/2010 8:10:25 AM PDT by Reeses (Sowcialist: a voter bought with food stamps)
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To: Red Badger

In 60 nanoseconds a normal desktop computer can perform at least 720 instructions.


55 posted on 06/18/2010 8:14:18 AM PDT by ctdonath2 (+)
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To: ctdonath2

That’s almost as fast as I can type!............


56 posted on 06/18/2010 8:16:35 AM PDT by Red Badger (No, Obama's not the Antichrist. He's just some guy in the neighborhood.............)
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To: ctdonath2
In 60 nanoseconds a normal desktop computer can perform at least 720 instructions.

I wonder how many brain cells might fire during that time in a normal brain. A million?

57 posted on 06/18/2010 8:19:29 AM PDT by Reeses (Sowcialist: a voter bought with food stamps)
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To: united1000
the project quality is under control over its 17 years of construction

This does bring up a concern. Quality control is not one of Chinese products strong points.

58 posted on 06/18/2010 8:19:31 AM PDT by Western Phil
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To: blam

Pure sillyness... slowing the rotation of the earth... duuuuuugh...


59 posted on 06/18/2010 8:20:26 AM PDT by hosepipe (This propaganda has been edited to include some fully orbed hyperbole....)
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To: Sloth
AaaaacKKK!! in another 164 years and three months, the day will be a whole second longer! We're all going to die from a lack of (or excess of) sleep -- or something...

Ooops! Correct that:

"Long before this has changed the day's length by as little as one second, we are all going to die from that invariably fatal disease called, 'LIFE'"...!

60 posted on 06/18/2010 8:27:41 AM PDT by TXnMA ("Allah": Satan's current alias...)
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