The organization responsible for global timekeeping said on Friday that scientists and government representatives voted to scrap leap seconds by the year 2035.
Leap seconds are added to the clock to make up for the difference between atomic time and the Earth's slow rotation.
Leap seconds can cause problems for systems that need an exact, continuous flow of time, such as satellite navigation, software, telecommunication, and even space travel.
It has caused a problem for the International Bureau of Weights and Measures, which is in charge of setting the world's clocks.
The General Conference on Weights and Measures, which is held every four years at the Versailles Palace, passed a resolution to stop adding leap seconds by the year 2035.
Patrizia said that the decision would allow a continuous flow of seconds without discontinuities.
She said via email that the change would be in place by or before the year 2035.
She said that Russia voted against the resolution because they wanted the date to be pushed until 2040.
She said that the "best compromise" was in 2035, because other countries wanted a quicker time frame.
The US and France led the way for change.
The rotation of the Earth is connected to the UTC.
She said that nothing would change for the public.
Astronomers used to measure seconds by analyzing the Earth's rotation, however the advent of atomic clocks made timekeeping much more precise.
The two times are out of sync because of Earth's slower rotation.
Leap seconds were introduced in 1972 and have been added at irregular intervals ever since.
Leap seconds will be added as usual for the time being.
Judah Levine is a physicist at the US National Institute of Standards and Technology.
Levine said the resolution's larger value was still being determined.
In order to determine the value and how it will be handled, negotiations will be held by the year 2035.
The time is run by a worldwide community effort according to Levine.
The US military is in charge of gps time, which is governed by atomic clocks.
The problem could be solved by allowing the discrepancy between the Earth's rotation and atomic time to build up.
Levine estimated that it could take between 50 to 100 years.
Levine proposed that the last minute of the day should take two minutes, instead of the leap minute.
He said that the advance of a clock never stops.
Agence France- Presse.
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