在过去的25年中，地球自转轴正在偏离，两极位置正在改变。全球变暖导致的冰川融化很可能是直接原因。一项新的研究表明，冰的消失起着重要作用，而且，地下水的枯竭也是造成地球轴心摆动的原因之一。不管你相不相信，人类正在和已经重塑了地球，如果我们不希望我们的世界颠倒过来，就应该尽早、尽快改变。
Since 1980, Earth's north and south poles have each drifted about 13 feet.
自1980年以来，地球上北极和南极各偏移了约13英尺。
The poles are where the planet's axis of rotation - the invisible line running through the center of Earth's mass, around which it spins - intersects the surface. But their geographic locations aren't fixed points: As the Earth's axis moves, so do the poles.
地轴，是地球自转的假想轴，它穿过地心，在地球表面交汇处就是南北两极点。但是两极的地理位置不是固定的：随着地球轴的移动，两极也移动。
According to a study published last month, Earth's axis started shifting so drastically in 1995 that the direction of that polar drift changed and sped up considerably. The culprit behind that shift, the researchers found, is melting glaciers.
根据上个月发表的一项研究，地轴从1995年开始发生明显的偏移，以至于极地的位置也发生了加速变化。研究人员发现，这种偏移的罪魁祸首是冰川融化。
Melting ice changes how Earth's weight is distributed
融化的冰川改变了地球的重量分布
Imagine that the Earth is like a spinning top: If the top's weight is evenly distributed, it should whirl perfectly, without any wobbling to one side or another. But if some of weight were to shift to one side or the other, that would change the top's center of mass and axis of rotation, leading it to lean toward the heavier side as it spins.
想象一下，地球就像一个旋转的陀螺：如果陀螺的重量均匀分布，它应该进行完美旋转，而不会倾斜到一侧或另一侧。但是，如果某些重量转移到一侧或另一侧，那将改变顶部的质心和旋转轴，导致顶部在旋转时向较重的一侧倾斜。
The same thing happens to the Earth when weight moves from one area to another.
当重量从一个区域移动到另一个区域时，地球也会发生同样的事情。
Sometimes, changes in the distribution of molten rock in Earth's outer core can alter how the planet's mass is distributed. The way water is distributed on Earth's surface also plays a big role. So if water that was frozen in glaciers in the planet's polar regions melts and joins the ocean, the weight of that water gets spread across a different area.
有时，地球外核中熔融岩石分布的变化会改变行星质量的分布。水在地球表面的分布也起着重要作用。因此，如果在地球两极地区的冰川中冻结的水融化并注入海洋，那么水的重量就会散布到不同的区域。
That redistribution, according to the new study, is the main driver of the polar drift scientists have observed in the last few decades.
根据这项新的研究，这种重量的重新分配是科学家在过去几十年中观察到的极地偏移的主要驱动力。
The trend started around 1995. Before the mid-1990s, satellite data showed the poles were moving slowly south. But then they turned left and started shifting to the east at an accelerated rate, moving by about one-tenth of an inch per year. The poles' average drift speed between 1995 and 2020 was 17 times faster than that from 1981 to 1995, the researchers found.
这种趋势始于1995年左右。在上世纪90年代中期之前，卫星数据显示两极正在缓慢向南移动。但是后来他们开始向左转，以加速的速度向东移动，每年移动大约十分之一英寸。研究人员发现，两极在1995年至2020年之间的平均漂移速度比1981年至1995年快17倍。
That acceleration aligns with accelerated melting around the north and south poles, which has been driven by the planet's rising surface and ocean temperatures.
这种加速与北极和南极周围冰川融化的速度相吻合，而海平面的上升及海洋温度的升高推动了冰川融化的速度。
Greenland has lost more than 4.2 trillion tons of ice since 1992, which has raised global sea levels 0.4 inches. The rate of that melt increased seven-fold, from 36 billion tons per year in the 1990s to 280 billion tons per year in the last decade. Antarctica's glacial melting is also speeding up - in the 1980s, Antarctica lost 40 billion tons of ice annually. In the last decade, that number jumped to an average of 252 billion tons per year.
自1992年以来，格陵兰岛已经损失了超过4.2万亿吨冰川，使全球海平面上升了0.4英寸。冰川融化的速度增加了七倍，从上世纪90年代的每年360亿吨增加到最近十年来的每年2800亿吨。南极洲的冰川融化也正在加速：在上世纪80年代，南极洲每年损失400亿吨冰川。在过去十年中，该数字跃升至平均每年2520亿吨。
The new study suggests that changes in how much fresh water is stored underground affects polar drift, too. Once this groundwater is pumped up to the surface for use as drinking water or for agriculture, it eventually flows into rivers and oceans, redistributing that water weight on Earth's surface.
这项新研究表明，地下储水量的变化也会影响极地漂移。一旦将地下水抽到地表用作饮用水或用于农业，它最终会流入河流和海洋，将水的重量重新分配到地球表面。
Nearly 20 trillion tons of groundwater have been pumped out of the Earth since the 1950s, the Guardian reported.
据《卫报》报道，自上世纪50年代以来，已经有近20万亿吨地下水被抽到地表。
Our days might be a tiny bit longer
地轴偏移的影响：一天的长度可能会增加
Earth's axis of rotation isn't straight up and down like the axes of Mercury or Jupiter. Rather, our planet's axis is tilted at an angle of 23.5 degrees. That's why the northern and southern hemispheres get varying amounts of sunlight at different times of the year, which is why we have seasons.
地球的自转轴不像水星或木星的自转轴那样上下笔直，而是以23.5度的角度倾斜。正因为这个角度倾斜，南北半球在一年的不同时间获得的阳光有差别，从而形成了四季更替。
The recent change to Earth's axis won't affect our everyday lives, but it could slightly tweak the length of our days.
地轴近一段时间的变化不会影响我们的日常生活，但可能会稍微改变我们一天的时间。
Earth takes 24 hours to complete one rotation. But the movement of its axis, and therefore its poles, could add milliseconds to that spin time, making our days a tiny bit longer.
地球需要24小时才能完成自转一圈。但是，地轴的偏离以及极点的移动可能会使旋转时间增加几毫秒，从而使我们的一天变得更长一点。