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Interannual variations in length of day and atmospheric angular momentum, and their seasonal associations with El NiƱo/Southern Oscillation-like sea surface temperature patterns.
- Source :
- Frontiers of Earth Science; Dec2017, Vol. 11 Issue 4, p751-764, 14p
- Publication Year :
- 2017
-
Abstract
- This study examines the seasonal connections between the interannual variations in LOD (length of day)/AAM (the relative atmospheric angular momentum for the whole globe) and the ENSO-like SST (El Niño/Southern Oscillation-like sea surface temperature) pattern and corresponding zonal and vertical circulations. Consistent with previous studies, the ENSO-like SST impact the following season LOD/AAM, with the strongest correlations in DJF (December, January, and February), when it is likely to be the peak El Niño/La Niña period. Lag correlations between the interannual variations in LOD/AAM and surface temperature, and the interannual variations in LOD and both zonal circulation and vertical airflow around the equator, consistently indicate that the LOD/AAM reflect the potential impacts of variations in the Earth's rotation rate on the following season's sea surface temperatures (SST) over the tropical central and eastern Pacific (where the ENSO-like SST pattern is located). Moreover, the centers of strongest variation in the AAM (the relative atmospheric angular momentum for an air column and the unit mass over a square meter) are located over the mid-latitudinal North Pacific in DJF and MAM (March, April, and May), and over the mid-latitudinal South Pacific in JJA (June, July, and August) and SON (September, October, and November). This suggests that the AAM over the mid-latitudinal Pacific around 30°N (30°S) dominate the modulation of Earth's rotation rate, and then impact the variations in LOD during DJF and MAM (JJA and SON). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
Details
- Language :
- English
- ISSN :
- 20950195
- Volume :
- 11
- Issue :
- 4
- Database :
- Complementary Index
- Journal :
- Frontiers of Earth Science
- Publication Type :
- Academic Journal
- Accession number :
- 126402703
- Full Text :
- https://doi.org/10.1007/s11707-016-0602-3