Every Second Counts

Reported January 2008

IRVINE, Calf. (Ivanhoe Newswire) -- We are currently in a La Nina event. Confused about the difference between El Nino and La Nina? We know it impacts our weather -- but it will also impact our time.

If it feels like you just don’t have enough time in the day -- you’re not alone. But it's more than just feeling like you are losing time; physicists have found that we really are losing time thanks to La Nina.

“The Earth's rotation is affected,” Jean Dickey, Ph.D., research Scientist at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif., told Ivanhoe.

We are currently in a La Nina event -- meaning the pacific ocean temps in the tropics are cooler which slows down the jet stream in the atmosphere -- to compensate -- the earth speeds up. The result -- for the next few months, we are going to lose an entire millisecond a day.

But for every La Nina that loses us time, an El Nino -- with its warm ocean temps and faster jet stream -- gains us time.

"So between a warm event and a cold event, they balance each other out,” Dr. Dickey said.

So don't worry too much about making up for lost time!

Click here to Go Inside This Science or contact:

Dr. Jean O. Dickey
Physicist
Jet Propulsion Laboratory
Pasadena, CA 91109-8099
(818) 354-3235
jean.o.dickey@jpl.nasa.gov

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