Filling an important gap in the geophysical literature at specialist level, this monograph is the only up-to-date title to provide a link between the Earth's rotation and its atmo- and hydrosphere, including the ice masses. Starting with the Earth's motions, the text goes on to look at irregularities and the effect of atmospheric processes on the Earth's spin. Tides and seasons occupy the following sections before a discussion of the Earth-ocean-atmosphere system and the mechanical action of the atmosphere on the Earth's rotation. The whole is rounded off by an index of abbreviations and appendices with sections on related physics for better readability, plus a comprehensive bibliography for further reading. A must for geophysicists, oceanographers, glaciologists, climatologists and meteorologists alike.
Author(s): Nikolay S. Sidorenkov
Publisher: Wiley
Year: 2009
Language: English
Pages: 319
The Interaction Between Earth's Rotation and Geophysical Processes......Page 5
Contents......Page 7
Preface......Page 11
1 Introduction......Page 15
2.1.1 Introduction......Page 23
2.1.2 Orbit of the Earth's Center......Page 25
2.1.3 Motion of the Barycenter of the Earth–Moon System Around the Sun......Page 27
2.2.1 Dynamics of the Spinning Top......Page 30
2.2.2 Precession and Nutation of the Earth's Spin Axis......Page 32
3.1.1 Motion of the Spin Axis in the Earth's Body......Page 41
3.1.2 International Latitude Service......Page 44
3.1.3 North Pole Motion......Page 45
3.2 Irregularities in the Earth's Rotation Rate......Page 47
4.1 General Differential Equations of the Rotation of the Earth Around its Mass Center......Page 55
4.2 Disturbed Motion of the Absolutely Solid Earth......Page 58
4.3 Disturbed Motion of the Elastic Earth......Page 60
4.4 Interpretation of Excitation Functions......Page 65
4.5 Harmonic Excitation Function and Motion of the Earth's Poles......Page 69
4.6 Equation of Motion of the Earth's Spin Axis in Space......Page 73
5.1 Tide-Generating Potential......Page 77
5.2 Expansion of Tide-Generating Potential......Page 81
5.2.1 Semidiurnal Waves......Page 85
5.2.2 Diurnal Waves......Page 88
5.2.4 General Classification of Tidal Waves......Page 90
5.3 Theory of Tidal Variations in the Earth's Rotation Rate......Page 91
5.4.1 Lunisolar Moment of Forces......Page 97
5.4.2 Motion of the Earth's Poles......Page 98
5.4.3 Precession and Nutations......Page 100
5.5 Introduction to the Theory of Atmospheric Tides......Page 102
6.1 Air-Mass Seasonal Redistribution......Page 113
6.2 Components of the Inertia Tensor of the Atmosphere......Page 117
6.3 Estimations of Instabilities in the Earth's Rotation......Page 122
6.4 Discussion of Results......Page 124
7.1 Functions of the Angular Momentum of the Atmosphere......Page 133
7.2 Climatic Data......Page 136
7.3 Axial Angular Momentum (Reanalysis Data)......Page 143
7.4 Estimations of Seasonal Variations in the Earth's Rotation......Page 148
7.5 Equatorial Angular Momentum of Atmospheric Winds......Page 153
7.6 Atmospheric Excitation of Nutations......Page 163
8.1 Observational Data......Page 167
8.2 Translational–Rotational Motion of Geophysical Continua......Page 169
8.3 Genesis of the Zonal Circulation......Page 173
8.4 Nature of the Atmosphere Superrotation......Page 178
8.5 Theory of the Zonal Atmospheric Circulation......Page 182
8.6 Nature of the Subtropical Maxima of Atmospheric Pressure......Page 188
8.7 Mechanism of Seasonal Variation......Page 189
8.8 Conclusions......Page 201
9 Interannual Oscillations of the Earth–Ocean–Atmosphere System......Page 203
9.1 El Niño–Southern Oscillation......Page 204
9.2 Quasibiennial Oscillation of the Atmospheric Circulation......Page 208
9.3 Multiyear Waves......Page 212
9.4 Modern ENSO Models......Page 218
9.5 The Model of Nonlinear Excitation......Page 219
10.1 Friction and Pressure Torques......Page 225
10.2 Mechanical Interaction of the Atmosphere with the Underlying Surface......Page 226
10.3 Implementation of Calculations......Page 232
10.4.1 Hypothesis......Page 234
10.4.2 Evidence......Page 235
10.4.3 Estimations......Page 236
10.4.4 Model......Page 237
11.1 Discussion on Conceivable Hypotheses......Page 239
11.2 Theory of Estimations of the Global Water Exchange Effect on the Earth's Rotation......Page 243
11.3.1 Assessments and Computations......Page 245
11.3.2 Comparison of the Theoretical and Empirical Values......Page 247
11.3.3 Discussion of Results......Page 250
11.4 Effect of Ice Sheets......Page 252
11.5 Effect of Climate Changes......Page 254
11.6 Effect of the Earth's Core......Page 257
11.7 Summary......Page 261
12.1.2 Conductors of Synoptic Processes......Page 263
12.2.1 Variability in Lunar Tidal Forces......Page 267
12.2.2 Rate of Extreme Natural Processes......Page 269
12.3 Hydrodynamic Equations of Motion......Page 272
13 Conclusion......Page 275
Appendices......Page 277
A.1 Spherical Analysis......Page 279
B.1 The Figure of the Earth......Page 283
Appendix C......Page 289
Appendix D......Page 291
References......Page 297
Index......Page 311
