A New Timekeeping System May Be Introduced Globally

Representatives from 69 countries have agreed to transition from the use of "leap seconds"—currently employed in timekeeping—to a "leap hour" system. The implementation of this new system is planned for 2027.

At present, a single second is added to Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) whenever necessary to account for fluctuations in the Earth's rotation speed. However, this practice can trigger technical malfunctions in computer systems, communication networks, satellites, and power grids. For instance, the addition of a leap second in 2012 caused disruptions in various computer systems; issues were observed on platforms such as Reddit and LinkedIn, and Qantas flights experienced delays.

Scientists note that the Earth's rotation speed varies due to the influence of its liquid core, the oceans, and atmospheric processes. Consequently, it might even become necessary to remove a second to keep time synchronized. The new system aims to reduce the frequency of minor adjustments made to align time with the Earth's rotation. Under this framework, the discrepancy between universal time and astronomical time would be permitted to grow by as much as one hour. The need for such a significant adjustment would likely not arise for thousands of years. For reference, since 1972, a leap second has been added 27 times to align universal time with the Earth's rotation.