Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

Scientists Say Global Warming Slows Earth's Spin
Duluth News Tribune ^ | 13 Feb 02 | Seth Borenstein

Posted on 02/13/2002 7:08:17 AM PST by johniegrad

WASHINGTON -- Feeling like the day is dragging? Blame global warming.

Increased man-made carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, a global warming gas, is slowing the Earth's rotation, according to a new study by Belgian scientists published Tuesday in the journal Geophysical Research Letters.

It's not much of a slowdown -- about 1.7 microsecond or 1.7 millionth of one second a year, according to co-author Michel Crucifix, a climate researcher at Catholic University of Louvain in Belgium.

The slowdown occurs because extra carbon dioxide expands the mass of the Earth's atmosphere from the Earth's surface. The change slows the Earth's rotation for the same reason that the spins of ice skaters slow when they extend their arms.

Crucifix's findings were based on runs of 14 different computer models.

Even without global warming, Earth has been slowing, mostly because the gravitational pull of the moon has been acting as a brake. Keepers of the master clock at the U.S. Naval Observatory in Washington generally add a leap second to official time every 12 to 18 months to compensate, said observatory spokesman Geoff Chester.

The effects of lunar braking plus global warming add up to this: A day in 2002 is about .002 seconds longer than it was in 1900, Chester said.

Not that you'd notice.

If you're banking on getting an extra minute of sleep, it'll be an extra 3 million years before you see that,'' Chester said.


TOPICS: Announcements; Front Page News; Miscellaneous
KEYWORDS: co2; deforestation; dep; ecoterrorism; environment; environmental; environmentalism; epa; forests; fossilfuels; globalwarming; globalwarminghoax; greenpeace; jungle; loss; natives; rainforrest; rainforrests; tropics
Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-2021-4041-6061-76 last
To: johniegrad
Are they still pushing that global warming BS?
61 posted on 02/13/2002 9:25:51 AM PST by cruiserman
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: johniegrad
Nice how they lump Lunar and global warming affects together to get 0.002 secs per year.
Its 0.0019983 for the lunar affects alone..
62 posted on 02/13/2002 9:26:54 AM PST by revtown
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: johniegrad
Jared, the Subway guy, losing all that weight should offset the slowing down caused by global warming for the next 6 million years.

Smoke 'em if you got 'em boys!

63 posted on 02/13/2002 9:32:03 AM PST by DouglasKC
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Reeses
Of course when all the icebergs melt from global warming the world will spin faster and we'll all float away.

If the Global Warming crowd would just do real physics, we could all at least argue with them. I did like the part about the wobble, LOL

64 posted on 02/13/2002 9:49:05 AM PST by KC_for_Freedom
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 49 | View Replies]

To: Reeses
As the earth slows we all weigh more because of less centrifugal force.

That's a relief. I thought I was just getting fat.

65 posted on 02/13/2002 10:09:33 AM PST by Dementon
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 49 | View Replies]

To: 2banana
Stop it, I'm getting dizzy already.
66 posted on 02/13/2002 10:56:15 AM PST by Jaded
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 6 | View Replies]

To: johniegrad
Let's see next it will be global warming makes men impotent. They are starting to use the same tactics on capitalism as they used on the cigarette industry -- blame everything on global warming - global warming gives women wrinkles and makes them fat, global warming increase the number of home runs hit in the majors, yada yada yada..... This get tiring after awhile.
67 posted on 02/13/2002 11:01:19 AM PST by KSCITYBOY
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: rboatman
Longers days means more golf.....
68 posted on 02/13/2002 11:02:18 AM PST by KSCITYBOY
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 55 | View Replies]

To: johniegrad
Here's an answer to this question from the Ask the Astronomer website:

Q: What effect did the Moon have on the Earth during the first few billion years?

A: Apart from the initial formation event which was probably catastrophic and melted the Earth's surface, most of the effects upon the Earth have involved the tidal breaking of the Earth's rotation rate. Today, the Earth rotates once every 24 hours, but near the formation epoch, it may have rotated as fast as once every 10 hours. The gravitational tidal action of the Moon upon the Earth, and vice versa, has resulted in some of the tidal energy of the Moon being dissipated as the Moon deforms the Earth's surface. This causes the Moon to continuously spiral outward from the Earth as it attempts to conserve its angular momentum. One would imagine that during the first billion years, the Moon was causing significant crustal stresses upon the Earth which may have amplified continental drift and produced some very ugly earthquakes and volcanic activity.

69 posted on 02/13/2002 11:11:25 AM PST by Liberal Classic
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Dementon
okay, let's get serious, because earth is in the balance.

The earth's slowing is causing gasses to collect thus increasing global warming.

It's like you and your buddies are coming from the taco bell and somebody emits a greenhouse gas just as you're coming up to a construction site and have to slow down. You all begin to experience the usual symptoms: nausea, headache, teary eyes. These symptoms persist because the vehicle is proceeding at a low rate of speed. Eventually you pass the construction site and are able to increase speed of the vehicle and, very important, dissipate the noxious fumes that have accumulated in the vehicle by means of increased air circulation. It is, my dear scientific brethern ( and sistern), increased circulation that provides the dissipation of greenhouse gasses and it's pleasant cooling effect.

Now 'scuze me while I get on with my own dissipat'n.

70 posted on 02/13/2002 11:18:16 AM PST by tsomer
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 65 | View Replies]

To: johniegrad
I can only see this as good news. If the earth slows down, that means that there will be less of a gravitational pull, which means that I will, in effect, weigh less! Screw the diet, let's just stop the earth!!! ;-)
71 posted on 02/13/2002 11:35:30 AM PST by Pablo64
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: eno_
My computer model says that if we lower these scientists down a really deep hole, we can neutralize the effect.

ROFLMAO! I love it. You must do science for a living, so rational. Actually this effect has resulted from the abolishing of Kings and Emperors (no more bowing and scraping).

72 posted on 02/13/2002 11:59:38 AM PST by AndrewC
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 40 | View Replies]

To: tsomer
okay, let's get serious, because earth is in the balance

How could you possibly consider that this has not been a serious thread?

73 posted on 02/13/2002 12:09:39 PM PST by johniegrad
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 70 | View Replies]

To: tsomer
... your buddies are coming from the taco bell and somebody emits a greenhouse gas...

It is for this very reason that I can't go to Taco Bell any more. Those greenhouse gasses start building internally and soon there are some localized and very catastrophic climate changes.

74 posted on 02/13/2002 1:43:04 PM PST by Dementon
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 70 | View Replies]

To: Dementon
bttt
75 posted on 02/14/2002 3:20:52 AM PST by johniegrad
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 74 | View Replies]

To: johniegrad;Global Warming Hoax
ROFLMFBO**!!

Thanks for the link to this thread!

Global Warming Hoax :

To find all articles tagged or indexed using Global Warming Hoax , click below:
  click here >>> Global Warming Hoax <<< click here  
(To view all FR Bump Lists, click here)



76 posted on 02/15/2002 9:45:53 PM PST by Ernest_at_the_Beach
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 73 | View Replies]


Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-2021-4041-6061-76 last

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson