Consider the following statements: Statement I: Scientific studies suggest that a shift is taking place in the Earth's rotation and axis. Statement II: Solar flares and associated coronal mass ejections bombarded the Earth's outermost atmosphere with tremendous amount of energy. Statement III: As the Earth's polar ice melts, the water tends to move towards the equator. Which one of the following is correct in respect of the above statements?

Question

Accepted Answer

Both Statement II and Statement III are correct but only one of them explains Statement I Why Statement II is correct but does not explain Statement I: The energy that results from the bombardment of outer atmosphere by solar flares and associated coronal mass ejections is not significant enough to alter the earth’s rotation and its rotational axis. Why Statement III is correct and explains Statement I: On 14th August 2024, in its Science section, The Hindu carried a report “Melting polar ice due to climate change is making earth’s days longer”. According to this report, the melting polar ice caps have caused the earth to spin slower. This can lead to minuscule changes in the actual duration of a day. When polar ice sheets and global glaciers melt, then this would go to the equatorial regions. This pole-to-equator mass flux increases the oblateness of the earth at its poles as well as the bulge of the earth at its equator. In such situation, in order to conserve its angular momentum, the earth slows its rotation and increase the time it takes to complete one rotation thus lengthening the day time. Using a mix of climate models and real-world data, the scientists looked at a 200-year period, between 1900 and 2100. They found that over the last two decades, the changing climate’s effects on sea levels around the equator have slowed the rate of earth’s rotation by around 1.3 milliseconds per century.