Largest hydroelectric power station in the world, The Three Gorges Dam, built on the Yangtze River in China, could affect the Earth’s rotation, storing an impressive 42 billion tons of water in its reservoir. Although scientific studies on the topic are still conflicting, some researchers believe the impact could be significant.
The dam, an epic work of the Chinese government, was built between 1994 and 2009. It consumed a total of more than US$37 billion (R180 billion) and forced around 1.2 million people to leave the banks of the river. The impact on the environment was also profound, with the flooding of 600 square kilometers of forests, agricultural land and archaeological sites.
However, despite the obstacles, the dam became fully operational in July 2012 with its impressive height of 181 meters and a width of 2.33 kilometers across the Chang Jiang River. In 2013, The The dam set a world record by producing 98.8 terawatt hours (TWh), a figure surpassed just two years later by our Itaipu hydroelectric power plant, which produced 103.1 TWh.
How does the Three Gorges Dam affect the Earth’s rotation?
To understand how a dam can affect the rotation of our planet, we need to remember this the concept of physics called “moment of inertia,” This measures a body’s resistance to changes in its angular velocity. The premise states that the further the mass moves from its axis, the greater the moment of inertia.
Therefore, it is expected that as the facility’s reservoir is filled with billions of tons of water above sea level, this mass could increase the Earth’s moment of inertia and cause the planet to rotate more slowly. This even means an increase in the length of the day.
What do scientists say?
Although the environmental impact in the region is significant, it does not alter life on Earth, scientists say. Source: NASA Earth Observatory
According to scientists, these changes are insignificant on a global scale and cannot affect either the climate or life on Earth. According to NASA experts, the Chinese dam extends the day by 0.06 microseconds, which is equivalent to 0.00000006 seconds or the effect that the lunar tide has on Earth.
Aside from that, The Chinese dam has it too a reduced potential to change the shape of the Earth and influence the planet’s poles. This could happen because the amount of water stored in the huge reservoir exerts a significant centrifugal force on the Earth’s equator.
Although they show little influence of human activity in a global context, natural events such as earthquakes, large volcanic eruptions or climate fluctuations can have a far greater impact on the Earth’s moment of inertia than the dam, experts say.
Did you like this article? So stay tuned for more curiosities like this here on TecMundo and take the opportunity to also find out: Why is the Greenwich meridian not where it should be?