Many previous studies have already warned that water levels of oceans is going to rise due to melting glaciers, but a new study claims that melting ice may also make our home planet spin faster than before.

Study researchers said glaciers’ ice is melting rapidly due to global warming and this reaction is making earth while faster. The process could also force the planet to shift its axis, the researchers warned. Sunset times will also be affected due to this rapid ice melting, they added.

Astronomers often record when eclipses occurred to know if the planet is shifting axis or spinning faster. They use the records to calculate earth, the sun and the moon’s position on any particular date. To find accurate figures, they measure speed necessary for earth to face the sun and the moon.

The researchers found that the moon and the sun’s gravitational pull on our home planet are affecting its rate of whirling. The planet is spinning slower than before, they found. The researchers also realized that there are many factors that can affect speed of earth’s spinning.

Previous studies have found melting ice of glaciers could increase sea levels at a rate of about 0.06 to 0.08 inches every year by 2100. These studies didn’t tell anything about melting ice’s effects on earth’s whirling.

“When polar ice caps melt, they remove weight off underlying rock, which then rebounds upward. This makes the poles less flat and the planet more round overall. This should in turn cause Earth to tilt a bit and spin more quickly”, the new study explained.