Human depletion of underground reservoirs has shifted the global distribution of water so much that the North Pole has drifted by more more than 4 centimetres per year.

Scientists have discovered that extensive groundwater pumping, totaling 2,150 gigatons between 1993 and 2010, has tilted the Earth approximately 31.5 inches eastward. This shift, driven by the ...

“Earth’s pole has drifted toward 64.16°E at a speed of 4.36 cm/yr during 1993–2010 due to groundwater depletion and resulting sea level rise,” researchers wrote in the study.

Shifts in water masses can cause smaller but still measurable changes in the tilt of Earth’s axis. Until recently, researchers thought that these water-driven effects would be caused mainly by ...