The research is based on the principle of conservation of angular momentum, which states that changes in the internal mass distribution of the Earth can affect its rotation. It was previously thought that the main factor influencing the tilt of the axis was the melting of glaciers in Greenland and Antarctica; however, the new study adds another aspect.
Russian experts have reacted skeptically to these findings. Alexey Ostapchuk, head of the laboratory of deformation processes at the Russian Academy of Sciences, pointed out that the amount of extracted water constitutes only a negligible fraction of the Earth's total mass, specifically about 0.0000003%. "This amount is insufficient to significantly impact the axis of rotation," he explained.
Ruslan Dyagilev from the Unified Geophysical Service of the Russian Academy of Sciences added that processes in the Earth's core and mantle, which account for 99.99% of the overall influence, significantly affect the orientation of the Earth in space. In his opinion, the methodology of the Korean researchers requires further analysis and verification.
The scientific community continues to discuss the results of this study, highlighting the complexity of assessing anthropogenic impacts on global geophysical processes.
