Azernews.Az

By Alimat Aliyeva

Sergey Donchenko, Director General of the All-Russian Scientific Research Institute of Physico-Technical and Radio Engineering Measurements (VNIIFTRI), stated that by 2029, scientists will need to subtract one second from world time due to the acceleration of the Earth's rotation, Azernews reports.

According to him, the Earth's rotation is either slowing down or speeding up, and currently, it is in an accelerated state. "Why this is happening is a question for geophysicists. One possible cause could be global warming, melting glaciers, and the redistribution of water mass. However, this may not be the primary reason. The Earth is also warming up, and there are intensified processes occurring inside the planet. This could be completely unrelated to human emissions and is unlikely to signal any major catastrophe," the CEO explained.

Donchenko emphasized that the technical issue of adding or subtracting seconds has not posed any significant challenges for quite some time.

Earlier, Vitaly Palchikov, chief researcher at VNIIFTRI, reported that there has been an unusual increase in the Earth's rotational speed in recent years. As a result, by 2029, it will be necessary to subtract one second to account for this change.

This phenomenon of fluctuating rotation speeds is part of a broader, complex process that includes factors like seismic activity, changes in Earth's core dynamics, and even the movement of large water bodies. These natural processes, though still not fully understood, are closely monitored by scientists because they can influence the precise measurement of time.

The concept of "leap seconds"—the occasional addition or subtraction of a second to Coordinated Universal Time (UTC)—has been an ongoing challenge in the realm of timekeeping. While the need to adjust for changes in Earth's rotation may seem abstract, it plays a critical role in ensuring the accuracy of global time systems, which affect everything from satellite navigation to financial transactions. The fact that the Earth's rotation can speed up or slow down due to internal processes or external factors like the redistribution of water underscores the dynamic nature of our planet and the ongoing need for scientific monitoring to keep global systems in sync.