Groundwater pumping causing Earth's tilt shift

The rampant removal of groundwater for drinking and irrigation has altered the distribution of water on Earth enough to shift the planet’s tilt, according to a new study. Between 1993 and 2010, humans removed a total of 2,150 gigatons of groundwater, enough to fill 860 million Olympic swimming pools. Moving all that water has shifted Earth’s tilt 31.5 inches eastward. The shift in Earth’s tilt is far too small to impact weather or seasons, but the team of scientists discovered that polar drift can be used to estimate the effect of groundwater pumping on sea level rise.