The Three Gorges Dam has recently been closely studied by NADA and current geophysics. Several professionals have indicated that the moment of inertia and the conservation of angular momentum could affect the planet’s rotation. Along the same lines, as a result of microseconds, small shifts in the Earth’s axis have been detected. This analysis marks a turning point, that is, a major anthropogenic change that influences Earth’s physics.
Sccientists warned that this colossal structure may be imperceptibly altering Earth’s rotation.
One of the most ambitious feats of recent engineering is currently raising preocupations that go far beyond the realm of energy. The Three Gorges Dam, whose location is based on China’s Yangtze River, is known as the world’s biggest hydroelectric power station. However, recently, scientists have informed that this colossal structure may be not perceptibly altering Earth’s rotation.
The explanation under this startling declaration lies in a principle of physics known as the moment of inertia. By the time a massive volume of matter is located again on Earth’s surface – such as the water stored in a dam of this scale – it can modficate the planet’s weight distribution related to its rotational axis. As a result, Earth subtly adjusts its rotational speed to keep dynamic balance.
How can a dam affect the planet’s spin?
According to NASA geophysicist Benjamin Fong Chao, the dam’s reservoir controls approximately 40 cubic kilometers of water. This mass, he explains, may have been the cause of almost immeasurable modification in Earth’s daily rhythm – lengthening the day by 0.06 microseconds and changing the planet’s axis by roughly two centimeters.
By the time those numbers seem negligible, they propose compelling proof that human interventions can have physical repercusion on a planetary scale.
This isn’t the first time profesionals have observed such an effect. In 2004, the massive Indian Ocean earthquake redistributed Earth’s mass so violently it shortened the day by 2.68 microseconds. But in contrast to that natural disaster, the Chinese dam is the result of a deliberate and sustained human project.
Although these changes don’t affect our daily lives, they carry relevant implications for science. Minuscule modification like these can interfere the calibration of atomic clocks, satellite navigation systems, and other technologies that depend on extremely precise timing. For this reason, happening like this are closely monitored by agencies such as NASA.
A warning for the future
Apart from the technical debate, this situation raises a deeper, more unsettling doubt: to what extent can human infrastructure reshape the physical balance of our planet?
China is already planificating an even bigger dam in Tibet, on the Yarlung Tsangpo River. If built, it could triple the energy space of the Three Gorges Dam – and potentially have a much greater effect on Earth’s dynamics.
At the same time, global happening like the speeding melting of polar ice – driven by climate change – are, in addition, redistributing Earth’s mass. Several scientific studies have warned that these processes are gradually slowing the planet’s rotation and causing slight modifications in its axis.
A project of titanic proportions
A project that has been described by Chinese Prime Minister Li Qiang as “the project of the century.” It has begun on the waters of the Yarlung Tsangpo River, also known as the Brahmaputra River, one of the longest in Asia, which flows through China, India, and Bangladesh. The gigantic dam will be located in Medog County, within the Tibet Autonomous Region, and will take advantage of a natural drop of 2,000 meters in just 50 kilometers.
How much energy will it generate? The dam will have five cascading hydroelectric stations, capable of generating 300 billion kilowatt-hours per year. This is three times more energy than the Three Gorges Dam. To achieve this, a huge budget of around €142 billion will be required, far exceeding that of the previous largest dam.
