# Earth shape changes from polar ice melt

> Live situation record from CLSTR: https://clstr.news/situations/earth-shape-changes-from-polar-ice-melt
> Updated: 2026-10-24T19:45:34.000Z. Sources: 5. Developments: 2.

Research published in the journal JGR Solid Earth indicates that Earth’s solid surface is becoming increasingly spherical due to the melting of polar ice caps. This process is driven by rising global temperatures, which redistribute water across the planet and alter its natural oblate spheroid shape.

Using a new method to analyze Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) data, Professor Christoforos Kotsakis of Aristotle University of Thessaloniki found that the poles are rising while the equatorial bulge is shrinking. Between 2011 and 2015, the poles rose and the equator decreased by approximately 0.5 to 1 millimeter per year. This rate of change is significantly higher than the 0.5 millimeters per year observed between 1997 and 2000, suggesting the morphological changes are accelerating.

## Timeline

### 2026-10-24: Climate change is making Earth more spherical

Melting polar ice caps are causing Earth to become more spherical, with the poles rising and the equatorial bulge decreasing at an accelerated rate.

3 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/climate-change-is-making-earth-more-spherical

### 2026-10-22: Earth's shape is becoming rounder due to polar ice melt

Research shows Earth is becoming rounder as polar ice melt and water redistribution alter the planet's shape, with poles rising and the equatorial bulge shrinking.

2 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/earths-shape-is-becoming-rounder-due-to-polar-ice-melt

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Cite as: Earth shape changes from polar ice melt. CLSTR, https://clstr.news/situations/earth-shape-changes-from-polar-ice-melt