For the first time, the growing ecological footprint of humans has caused the whole planet to change its tilt.

The shift in the tilt of the Earth's axis, which could affect some satellite data, including GPS systems, was revealed by NASA scientists following a careful analysis of satellite data revealing a major redistribution of water and ice around the globe.

This was the result of global warming causing hundreds of billions of tonnes of ice to melt every year in Greenland and west Antarctica, coupled with a deficit of water in Eurasia, the scientists concluded.

"The axis around which our planet spins moves through time, drifting and wobbling as water moves around the planet," University of Tasmania geodesist Matt King said. Having once tilted towards Canada, the polar axis is now drifting towards Britain at roughly 16 centimetres a year, the NASA measurements reveal.