Leap Seconds May Be Abandoned by the World’s Timekeepers

image via New Scientist

October 15, 2024, 1:00 PM

• •Earth's rotation has been slowing down, so we have been adding leap seconds to atomic clocks to keep them in sync with Earth.
• •Since around 1990 Earth's rotation has been speeding up, counteracting the slowdown and shortening the day.
• •There are two explanations for why Earth's rotation has been speeding up: global warming and changes in the Earth's mantle.

Earth's rotation has been slowing down for many years, which is why we have to add a leap second to our clocks every so often. But since around 1990, Earth's rotation has actually been speeding up, which means we may have to subtract a leap second for the first time. This has caused some debate about whether or not we should continue adding or subtracting leap seconds at all.

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