A recent study suggests that climate change is impacting the Earth's rotation speed, potentially altering our timekeeping methods. The accelerated melting of ice from Greenland and Antarctica is contributing to increased water in the oceans, causing a redistribution of mass.

Consequently, this has resulted in a slight deceleration of the Earth's rotation, although it still spins faster than in the past.

This phenomenon implies that adjustments may be necessary in global timekeeping practices. According to the study published in the journal Nature, the observed changes in Earth's rotation rate due to variations in its liquid core have implications for Coordinated Universal Time (UTC), which regulates clocks worldwide.

Over the years, around 27 leap seconds have been added to account for this acceleration, with the anticipation of subtracting a second for the first time in 2026. However, the study reveals that the accelerated ice melt linked to climate change has partially counteracted this acceleration.

Ice sheets are losing mass at a rate five times faster than three decades ago, postponing the need for a "negative leap second" until 2029, as indicated by the research findings. Duncan Agnew, the study's author, expressed surprise at the tangible impact humans have had on the Earth's rotational speed, highlighting the significance of these changes.

"Things are happening that are unprecedented."

The negative leap second has never been used before and, according to the study, its use "will pose an unprecedented problem" for computer systems across the world.

"This has never happened before and poses a major challenge to making sure that all parts of the global timing infrastructure show the same time," Mr Agnew, who is a researcher at the University of California, San Diego told AFP news agency.

"Many computer programs for leap seconds assume they are all positive, so these would have to be rewritten," he added.

There has been some skepticism of the study, however.

Demetrios Matsakis, former chief scientist for time services at the US Naval Observatory, told AFP that "Earth is too unpredictable to be sure" if a negative leap second would be needed any time soon.

Human activities like burning fossil fuels are causing world temperatures to rise.

That temperature rise is having a huge effect on the environment, including the rapid melting of glaciers and ice sheets.

This is serious.