Science
NASA warns: China has the power to change the Earth's rotation with a simple action
This megastructure from the Asian giant manages to retain such a quantity of water that it is capable of modifying the rotation movement of the Earth, even affecting the length of the days.
Over the past decade, China has transformed from an emerging economy into a global powerhouse. Since 2014, its GDP has doubled, with a 5.2% annual growth rate recorded in 2023, and a steady 5% growth rate in the first two quarters of this year. But Beijing’s meteoric rise wasn’t by chance. It was backed by significant investments in infrastructure, including a project that has shaped the country’s future: the Three Gorges Dam.
The Project That Took 50 Years to Build
Back in 1980, the Chinese government revived a plan that had been conceived 50 years earlier but shelved due to a lack of funding: constructing a colossal dam on the Yangtze River, the third-largest river in the world in terms of flow and length. Fourteen years passed before construction of the Three Gorges Dam officially began in 1994, named for the three dramatic gorges along the river: Qutang, Wu, and Xiling.
A dam that could slow Earth’s rotation
The massive Three Gorges Dam, completed in 2012, has become a symbol of China’s industrial power. It stands over 600 miles long and rises over 600 feet high, making it the world’s largest hydropower plant, capable of generating more than 80 billion kilowatt-hours of energy annually. The dam also features an elaborate lock system to allow ships to cross the river, which is a vital waterway connecting China’s interior with its coast.
Yet, NASA issued a startling warning about the potential consequences of filling the dam. The space agency cautioned that such a massive accumulation of water could slightly alter Earth’s rotation. According to NASA scientists, a change in the mass distribution could extend the length of a day by 0.06 microseconds. More concerning, this shift would also cause the planet to become marginally more rounded at the equator and slightly flatter at the poles. In essence, the Earth could change shape in subtle ways that affect its movement.
A monumental feat with global impact
The Three Gorges Dam is not just an energy marvel, but a massive infrastructural achievement. The dam can store up to 10 trillion gallons of water, and its impact extends far beyond energy production. As the water has filled the reservoir, it has altered both the landscape and the lives of millions who once lived along the Yangtze. But perhaps the most unexpected consequence of the dam’s construction has been its effect on the Earth’s rotation.
NASA’s research points out that the weight of the water, distributed at an altitude of 574 feet above sea level, causes subtle changes in the planet’s gravitational forces. These changes are enough to shift the Earth’s mass, altering the “moment of inertia” — the property that dictates how an object spins around its axis. In simple terms, the water stored in the dam has caused a slight deceleration in the Earth’s rotation, though the effect is so minute that it is imperceptible.
Original article written by Rubén Criado, translated with the assistance of AI and edited by Greg Heilman.
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