[Physics] Will the day/night cycle change when the poles melt

angular momentumearthgeophysicsrotational-dynamics

I want to know what will happen to day and night if poles melt i think it will change but I don't know why? ^_^

Best Answer

To a first-order effect, there would be no change.

But one consequence of melting is that the water moves to other places. Water that moves from the poles to other areas on the surface of the earth would serve to (slightly) increase the moment of inertia of the planet. This is because the mass of the water would be farther from the rotational axis. The result of this would be a slight slowing of the earth's rotation compared to the situation where the ice remains intact.

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