Abstract
This study examines the seasonal connections between the interannual variations in LOD (length of day)/AAMglobe (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/AAMglobe, 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/AAMglobe and surface temperature, and the interannual variations in LOD and both zonal circulation and vertical airflow around the equator, consistently indicate that the LOD/AAMglobe 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 AAMcolumn (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 AAMcolumn 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).
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Abarca del Rio R, Gambis D, Salstein D A (2000). Interannual signals in length of day and atmospheric angular momentum. Ann Geophysicae, EGS-Springer-Verlag 18: 347–364
Abarca del Rio R, Gambis D, Salstein D A (2012). Interdecadal oscillations in atmospheric angular momentum variations. J Geodetic Sci, 2(1): 42–52
Barnes R T H, Hide R, White A A, Wilson C A (1983). Atmospheric angular momentum fluctuations, length of day changes and polar motion. Proc R Soc Lon 387: 31–73
Black R X, Salstein D A, Rosen R D (1996). Interannual modes of variability in atmospheric angular momentum. J Clim, 9(11): 2834–2849
Chao B F (1988). Correlation of interannual length-of-day variation with El Nino/Southern Oscillation, 1972-1986. J Geophys Res, 93(B7): 7709–7715
Chao B F (1989). Length-of-day variations caused by El Nino Southern Oscillation and Quasi-Biennial Oscillation. Science, 243(4893): 923–925
Chen J L, Wilson C R, Chao B F, Shum C K, Tapley B D (2000). Hydrological and oceanic excitations to polar motion and length-ofday variation. Geophys J Int, 141(1): 149–156
Dickey J O, Marcus S L, Chin T M (2007). Thermal wind forcing and atmospheric angular momentum: origin of the Earth’s delayed response to ENSO. Geophys Res Lett, 34(17): L17803
Eubanks T M, Steppe J A, Dickey J O, Callahan P S (1985). A spectral analysis of the Earth’s angular momentum budget. J Geophys Res, 90 (B7): 5385–5404
Gu Z N (1996). Imbalance of seasonal budget in the atmospheric angular momentum and length of day. Annals of Shanghai Observatory Academia Sinica, 17: 73–79 (in Chinese)
Hide R, Dickey J O (1991). Earth’s variable rotation. Science, 253(5020): 629–637
Höpfner J (1997). Seasonal variations in length of day and atmospheric angular momentum. Scientific Technical Report, No.: STR97/08
Höpfner J (1999). Interannual variations in length of day and atmospheric angular momentum with respect to ENSO cycles. Scientific Technical Report, No.: STR99/07
Kalnay E, Kanamitsu M, Kistler R, Collins W, Deaven D, Gandin L, Iredell M, Saha S, White G, Woollen J, Zhu Y, Chelliah M, Ebisuzaki W, Higgins W, Janowiak J, Mo K C, Ropelewski C, Wang J, Leetmaa A, Reynolds R, Jenne R, Joseph D (1996). The NCEP/NCAR 40- year reanalysis project. Bull Am Meteorol Soc, 77(3): 437–471
Lambeck K (1980). The Earth’s Variable Rotation. New York: Cambridge University Press
Lambeck K, Cazenave A (1976). Long term variations in the length of day and climatic change. Geophys J R Astr Soc, 46: 555–573
Li C Y (1996). A further study on interaction between anomalous winter monsoon in East Asia and El Nino. Acta Meteorol Sin, 10: 309–320
Li G, Ren B H, Yang C Y, Zheng J Q (2010). Traditional El Nino and El Nino Modoki revisited: Is El Nino Modoki linearly independent of traditional El Nino? Atmos Oceanic Sci Let, 3(2): 70–74
Li Y F, Harrison S P, Zhao P, Ju J H (2009). Simulations of the impacts of dynamic vegetation on interannual and interdecadal variability of Asian summer monsoon with modern and mid-Holocene orbital forcings. Global Planet Change, 66: 235–252
Li Y F, Leung L R (2013). Potential impacts of the Arctic on interannual and interdecadal summer precipitation over China. J Clim, 26(3): 899–917
Luo F F, Li S L, Gao Y Q, Tore F (2012). A new method for predicting the decadal component of global SST. Atmos Ocea Sci Let, 5(6): 521–526
Morgan P J, King R W, Shapiro I I (1985). Length of day and atmospheric angular momentum: a comparison for 1981-1983. J Geophys Res, 90(B14): 12645–12652
Munk W H, Miller R L (1950). Variation in the Earth’s angular velocity resulting from fluctuations in atmospheric and cceanic circulation. Tellus, 2(2): 93–101
Oort A H (1983). Global atmospheric circulation statistics, 1958-1973. NOAA Prof. Paper 14, original from University of California, 1–180 (read on http://catalog.hathitrust.org/Record/008332859)
Qian W H, Chou J F (1996). Atmosphere-earth angular momentum exchange and ENSO cycle. Sci China Ser D, 26: 80–86
Rasmusson EM, Carpenter T H (1982). Variations in tropical sea surface temperature and surface wind fields associated with the Southern Oscillation/El Nino. Mon Weather Rev, 110(5): 354–384
Ren Z Q, Zhang S Q (1986). Decrease of Earth rotation and El Nino events. Acta Meteorol Sin, 44: 411–416 (in Chinese)
Rosen R D (1993). The axial momentum balance of earth and its fluid envelope. Surv Geophys, 14(1): 1–29
Rosen R D, Salstein D A (1983). Variations in atmospheric angular momentum on global and regional scales and the length of day. J Geophys Res, 88(C9): 5451–5470
Rosen R D, Salstein D A (1985). Contribution of stratospheric winds to annual and semi-annual fluctuations in atmospheric angular momentum and the length of day. J Geophys Res, 90(D5): 8033–8041
Salstein D A, Kann D M, Miller A J, Rosen R D (1993). The sub-bureau for atmospheric angular momentum of the international Earth rotation service: a meteorological data center with geodetic applications. Bull Am Meteorol Soc, 74(1): 67–80
Satoh M, Yoshida S (1996). Response of the atmospheric angular momentum and the length of the day to the surface temperature increase for an aqua planet model. Geophys Res Lett, 23(18): 2569–2572
Starr V P (1948). An essai on the general circulation of the Earth’s atmosphere. J Meteorol, 5(2): 39–43
Stefanick M (1982). Interannual atmospheric angular momentum variability 1963-1973 and the southern oscillation. J Geophys Res, 87(C1): 428–432
Torrence C, Compo G P (1998). A practical guide to wavelet analysis. Bull Am Meteorol Soc, 79: 61–78
Wu R G, Chen J L, Chen W (2012). Different types of ENSO influences on the Indian summer monsoon variability. J Clim, 25(3): 903–920
Yang S, Lau K M, Kim K M (2002). Variations of the East Asian jet stream and Asian–Pacific–American winter climate anomalies. J Clim, 15(3): 306–325
Zheng D W, Luo S F, Song G X (1988). Interannual variation of Earth rotation, El Nino event and atmospheric angular momentum. Sci China Ser B, 3: 332–337 (in Chinese)
Zhong M, Yan H M, Zhu Y Z, Lei X P (2002). Atmospheric angular momentum fluctuations and the excitations on earth rotation at seasonal scale. ACTA Astronomica Sinica, 43: 90–98 (in Chinese)
Acknowledgements
This study was supported by the National Basic Research Program of China (No. 2012CB957804) and the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos. 41505079 and 41375069). The authors are grateful for the comments and suggestions provided by four anonymous reviewers, which helped to improve the paper.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Li, Y., Xiao, Z., Shi, W. et al. Interannual variations in length of day and atmospheric angular momentum, and their seasonal associations with El Niño/Southern Oscillation-like sea surface temperature patterns. Front. Earth Sci. 11, 751–764 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11707-016-0602-3
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11707-016-0602-3