{"id":226966,"date":"2026-05-27T08:12:14","date_gmt":"2026-05-27T08:12:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/en\/nasa-confirms-china-could-impact-earths-rotation-by-filling-the-three-gorges\/"},"modified":"2026-05-27T08:12:15","modified_gmt":"2026-05-27T08:12:15","slug":"nasa-confirms-china-could-impact-earths-rotation-by-filling-the-three-gorges","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/en\/nasa-confirms-china-could-impact-earths-rotation-by-filling-the-three-gorges\/","title":{"rendered":"NASA Confirms: China Could Impact Earth’s Rotation by Filling the Three Gorges"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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The Three Gorges Dam: A Marvel of Engineering<\/h2>\n

The Three Gorges Dam, located in central China, represents a pinnacle of modern engineering. As the largest hydroelectric power plant globally, it harnesses the might of the Yangtze River\u2014Asia’s longest river\u2014to generate unmatched electrical output. NASA has indicated that the dam is so massive that filling it can slightly affect the Earth’s rotation, illustrating the broad impact of human activity on the planet.<\/p>\n

Significance of the Yangtze River<\/h3>\n

The Yangtze River, also known as the Blue River, is the third longest river in the world, draining a basin that covers nearly two million square kilometers and supplying water to about 40% of China\u2019s landmass. The Three Gorges, comprising the Qutang, Wu, and Xiling gorges, are spectacular natural features along its middle course. The dam commenced operations in 2012 after almost two decades of construction, offering a remarkable display of human ingenuity.<\/p>\n

A New Era in Hydropower Generation<\/h2>\n

With a capacity of 22,500 MW, the Three Gorges Dam surpasses the output of the Itaip\u00fa hydroelectric plant, previously the world’s largest, located on the Paran\u00e1 River between Brazil and Paraguay. In 2020, the dam set a new record by generating almost 112 TWh of electricity, far exceeding the annual consumption of entire countries like Finland and Chile. Notably, the facility\u2019s design includes additional generators for self-power and navigation aids, comprising an essential part of its infrastructure.<\/p>\n

Impact on the Earth’s Rotation<\/h2>\n

The dam’s colossal structure can hold approximately 40 cubic kilometers of water. According to NASA, should this reservoir be filled, it could affect the rotation of the planet. NASA geophysicist Benjamin Fong Chao explains that doing so would very slightly shift the Earth’s axis and lengthen the day by about 0.06 microseconds. While this change is minuscule, it emphasizes human influence over large-scale planetary processes.<\/p>\n

The Moment of Inertia Explained<\/h2>\n

This minor adjustment in Earth’s rotation is rooted in the concept of “moment of inertia,” which gauges a body\u2019s resistance to changes in its rotational state. The distribution of mass relative to an axis defines this resistance. Just as a figure skater alters their speed by changing arm positions, the Earth\u2019s rotation can be influenced by mass distribution changes. For instance, the seismic activity causing the 2004 Indonesian tsunami led to a shift, slightly accelerating Earth’s rotation due to the redistribution of Earth’s mass.<\/p>\n

Human Influence on Earth’s Dynamics<\/h2>\n

Earth’s rotational axis is not static; it has naturally shifted about 10 centimeters per year since 1900. Traditionally attributed to glacial retreat and lunar gravitational pull, we are starting to recognize significant human contributions as well. For example, between 1993 and 2010, groundwater extraction for various uses elevated sea levels by over six millimeters and shifted the Earth’s axis by 80 centimeters.<\/p>\n

Considering Future Adjustments<\/h2>\n

The implications of human alterations to Earth\u2019s rotation raise interesting questions regarding timekeeping. Discussions about potentially introducing a negative leap second have emerged, although recent studies suggest that the melting of polar ice may already offset the Earth’s rotational changes caused by human activity. Thus, the planned introduction of this second has been postponed from 2026 to at least 2029.<\/p>\n

A Glimpse into the Future<\/h2>\n

The impressive scale of the Three Gorges Dam is just one example of China’s ambitious engineering projects. In 2025, work will begin on the Medog hydroelectric plant in Tibet, which is expected to become three times more powerful than the Three Gorges upon completion in 2035. Despite its significant output, the Three Gorges contributes only 1% of China’s annual energy needs, reflecting the country’s immense energy demand.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n


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General News – 2<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Three Gorges Dam: A Marvel of Engineering The Three Gorges Dam, located in central China, represents a pinnacle of modern engineering. As the largest hydroelectric power plant globally, it harnesses the might of the Yangtze River\u2014Asia’s longest river\u2014to generate unmatched electrical output. NASA has indicated that the dam is so massive that filling it […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":226967,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[36399],"tags":[2397,1633,27243,11278,53052,5613,6485,12024],"class_list":["post-226966","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-technology","tag-china","tag-confirms","tag-earths","tag-filling","tag-gorges","tag-impact","tag-nasa","tag-rotation"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/226966","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=226966"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/226966\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":226968,"href":"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/226966\/revisions\/226968"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/226967"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=226966"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=226966"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=226966"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}