Three Gorges Dam

Current Context : Recently a study reviled that China’s Three Gorges Dam, the largest hydroelectric project in the world, doesn’t just generate immense power  it might also affect Earth’s rotation.

ABOUT

• Location: Situated on the Yangtze River in Hubei Province, China.
• Completion: Finished in 2012after almost 20 years of construction.
• Size: World’s largest dam, spanning 2,335 meters long and 185 meters
• Electricity Generation: Produces up to 22,500 megawatts of power, serving millions.
• Benefits: Helps with flood control and improves river navigation.
• Environmental & Social Impact: Displaced 3 million people and submerged 632 square kilometers of land, affecting ecosystems and wildlife.

How does the dam impact Earth’s rotation?

According to a geophysicist of Nasa, the dam’s massive reservoir holds enough water to shift the distribution of Earth’s mass. This is based on the principle of moment of inertia, which governs how the distribution of mass affects an object’s rotational speed.