BONN, Germany, July 6 (UPI) -- German
researchers say their discovery that the Earth is
smaller than originally thought may have serious ramifications for climate change.
The difference is minute -- all of five
millimeters -- but that is crucial to studying how climate changes the Earth, said researchers at Bonn University.
Five millimeters (0.2 inches) is less than half the width of an average finger, which may seem negligible in comparison to the earth''s
diameter of 7,926.3812 miles.
But "it is essential for the positioning of the
satellites that can
measure rises in sea level," said lead researcher Axel Nothnagel. "If the ground stations tracking the satellites are not
accurate to the millimeter, then the satellites cannot be accurate, either."
Nothnagel''s team worked for two years using radio waves to measure the Earth''s diameter, Deutsche Welle reported Friday.
Copyright 2007 by United Press International. All Rights Reserved.
More abstracts about the Earth is smaller than originally thought