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Measurement of diurnal and semidiurnal rotational variations and tidal parameters of EarthWe discuss the determination of diurnal and semidiurnal variations in the rotation rate and the direction of rotation axis of Earth from the analysis of 8 years of very long baseline interferometry (VLBI) data. This analysis clearly show that these variations are largely periodic and tidally driven; that is, the periods of the variations correspond to the periods of the largest lunar and solar tides. For rotation rate variations, expressed in terms of changes in universal time (UT), the tidal lines with the largest observed signals are O1 (amplitude 23.5 microseconds in time (microseconds), period 25.82 solar hours); KL (18.9 microseconds, 23.93 hours); M2 (17.9 microseconds, 12.54 hours); and S2 (8.6 microseconds, 12.00 hours). For variations in the direction of the rotation axis (polar motion), significant signals exist in the retrograde semidiurnal band at the M2 and S2 tides (amplitudes 265 and 119 microarc seconds (microarc seconds, respectively); the prograde diurnal band at the O1, K1, and P1 tides (amplitudes 199, 152, and 60 microarc seconds, respectively); and the prograde semidiurnal band at the M2 and K2 tides (amplitudes 58 and 39 microarc seconds, respectively). Variations in the retrograde diurnal band are represented by corrections with previous estimates except that a previously noted discrepancy in the 13.66-day nutation (corresponding to the O1 tide) is largely removed in this new analysis. We estimate that the standard deviations of these estimates are 1.0 microseconds for the UT1 variations and 14-16 microarc seconds for the polar motion terms. These uncertainties correspond to surface displacements of approximately 0.5 mm. From the analysis of atmospheric angular momentum data we conclude that variations in UT1 excited by the atmosphere with subdaily periods are small (approximately 1 microsecond). We find that the average radial tidal displacements of the VLBI sites in the diurnal band are largely consistent with known deficiencies in current tidal models, i.e., deficiencies of up to 0.9 mm in the treatment of the free core nutation resonance. In the semidiurnal band, our analysis yields estimates of the second-degree harmonic radial Love number h(sub 2) at the M2 tide of 0.604 + i0.005 +/- 0.002. The most likely explanation for the rotational variations are the effects of ocean tides, but there may also be some contributions from atmospheric tides, the effects of triaxiality of Earth, and the equatorial second-degree-harmonic components of the core- mantle boundary.
Document ID
19950058593
Acquisition Source
Legacy CDMS
Document Type
Reprint (Version printed in journal)
External Source(s)
Authors
Herring, Thomas A.
(Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA United States)
Dong, Danan
(Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA United States)
Date Acquired
August 16, 2013
Publication Date
September 10, 1994
Publication Information
Publication: Journal of Geophysical Research
Volume: 99
Issue: B9
ISSN: 0148-0227
Subject Category
Geophysics
Accession Number
95A90192
Funding Number(s)
CONTRACT_GRANT: NAGW-0037
CONTRACT_GRANT: NSF EAR-89-05560
CONTRACT_GRANT: NAG5-538
CONTRACT_GRANT: NOAA-NA-90AADAC481
Distribution Limits
Public
Copyright
Other

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