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Science 1 June 1984:
Vol. 224. no. 4652, pp. 957 - 961
DOI: 10.1126/science.224.4652.957
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Articles

Variations in the Rotation of the Earth

W. E. Carter 1, D. S. Robertson 2, J. E. Pettey 3, B. D. Tapley 4, B. E. Schutz 4, R. J. Eanes 4, and Miao Lufeng 5

1 National Geodetic Survey Charting and Geodetic Services, Rockville, Maryland 20852.
2 National Ocean Service, Rockville, Maryland 20852.
3 National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Rockville, Maryland 20852.
4 Center for Space Research, Department of Aerospace Engineering and Engineering Mechanics, University of Texas, Austin 78712.
5 National Bureau of Surveying and Mapping, Beijing, People's Republic of China.

Variations in the earth's rotation (UT1) and length of day have been tracked at the submillisecond level by astronomical radio interferometry and laser ranging to the LAGEOS satellite. Three years of regular measurements reveal complex patterns of variations including UT1 fluctuations as large as 5 milliseconds in a few weeks. Comparison of the observed changes in length of day with variations in the global atmospheric angular momentum indicates that the dominant cause of changes in the earth's spin rate, on time scales from a week to several years, is the exchange of angular momentum between the atmosphere and the mantle. The unusually intense El Niño of 1982-1983 was marked by a strong peak in the length of day.

Submitted on June 1, 1984


THIS ARTICLE HAS BEEN CITED BY OTHER ARTICLES:
Earth's Variable Rotation.
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High-Resolution Climatic Analysis and Southwest Biogeography.
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Polar Motion Measurements: Subdecimeter Accuracy Verified by Intercomparison.
D. S. ROBERTSON, W. E. CARTER, B. D. TAPLEY, B. E. SCHUTZ, and R. J. EANES (1985)
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An El Nino Signal in Atmospheric Angular Momentum and Earth Rotation.
R. D. ROSEN, D. A. SALSTEIN, T. M. EUBANKS, J. O. DICKEY, and J. A. STEPPE (1984)
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