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?
Explanation
Scientific studies confirm that Earth’s rotation (affecting day length) and axis orientation (causing polar motion) are shifting due to climate-driven factors--notably melting polar ice, glacier retreat, and groundwater depletion. These changes lead to mass redistribution, altering Earth’s moment of inertia, which in turn causes a rotational slowing (e.g., 1.33 milliseconds per century) and polar wander (axis shifts of 10-20 cm/year). Since 1980, Earth’s spin axis has shifted nearly 4 meters. The Chandler wobble, a natural axis oscillation, is also amplified by these mass changes.
Statement I is correct: Mass redistribution--e.g., Greenland losing 4,700 Gt and Antarctica 2,720 Gt (1992-2020), and 1.6 trillion tons of groundwater pumped since 1990--shifts mass toward the equator, slowing rotation and shifting the axis.
Statement II is correct: Solar flares and coronal mass ejections (CMEs) release up to 10° joules of energy, impacting the ionosphere and thermosphere (80-1000 km altitude). These cause geomagnetic storms, disrupting satellites, radio, and triggering auroras. However, per NASA and NOAA, they do not affect rotation or axis shifts, since they alter magnetic fields and atmospheric density, not mass distribution.
Statement III is correct: Climate-driven polar ice melt and groundwater depletion (e.g., Punjab & Haryana in India) shift mass equatorward, increasing moment of inertia, thus slowing rotation and causing axis drift, as confirmed by NASA and Nature Geoscience.