“Basically anything that moves mass towards the center of the Earth will speed up the planet’s rotation, much as a spinning ice skater speeds up when they pull in their arms”, explained Ian Sample, science editor of The Guardian.
Tidal friction slows the speed. The moon is mostly to blame for the effect: the gravitational tug slightly distorts the planet, producing tidal friction that steadily slows the Earth’s rotation.
To keep clocks in line with the planet’s spin, the International Telecommunication Union, a United Nations body, has taken to adding occasional leap seconds in June or December, most recently in 2016.
However, even without adding leap seconds, if Earth spins faster, it could result in GPS satellites becoming useless, as a half-a-millisecond equates to 10-inches or 26 cm at the equator
there are also potentially confusing consequences for smartphones, computers, and communications systems, which synchronize with Network Time Protocol (NTP) servers.
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