NASA research has shown that the construction of the Three Gorges Dam in China is causing a slowdown in the Earth’s rotational speed.The dam, which will serve as a hydroelectric power plant, revealed the problems that large-scale projects can create on the planet.
The Three Gorges Dam in China has changed the Earth’s speed
The world’s largest hydroelectric project, the Three Gorges Dam is 185 meters high and more than 2 kilometers long. It holds 40 billion cubic meters of water. The redistribution of this mass delays the Earth’s rotation by 0.06 microseconds per day.
“The bigger Phaedra is, the worse the consequences. The highest mass we simulated was the worst for the stability of the orbits of Earth, Venus and Mars, especially Earth.”
NASA researcher Fong Chao said: “The redistribution of mass in the Earth system has an impact on the Earth’s rotation. While a delay of 0.06 microseconds per day may seem negligible, it is a tangible result of this redistribution.”
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The project’s impact stems from the basic principles of planetary dynamics. As water accumulates in the dam, it changes the distribution of weight on the Earth’s surface, altering the rotational speed of the planet. A shift of mass towards the equator slows rotation, while a shift towards the poles speeds it up.
Considering that the Three Gorges Dam produced 112 terawatt-hours of energy in 2020, the impact on natural systems is inevitable. According to Chao, “This impact of the dam on the Earth’s rotation is as inevitable as it is subtle. Such projects, while innovative, require careful consideration of their wider environmental impacts to ensure sustainable and responsible development.”
