National Post

Years could get shorter as leap second might be abolished
Time could soon be up for the leap second — the extra moment added to universal time to keep it in sync with the earth’s movement — as experts consider abolishing it later this week.

Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) is based on about 400 atomic clocks at laboratories around the world, occasionally corrected with a leap second to align it with the earth’s varying rotation.

The world’s computer systems need to be adjusted accordingly, leaving them open to error, and many countries including the United States and France want to end the 40-year-old practice.

“The reason for this is due to the rotation of the earth and some events like earthquakes that can slow the earth a bit more than expected,” said Vincent Meens, chairman of the ITU’s study group on the matter. (Pgoto: Loic Venance/AFP/Getty Images/Files)