Polar motion
Encyclopedia
Polar motion of the earth is the movement of Earth
's rotational axis across its surface. This is measured with respect to a reference frame in which the solid Earth is fixed (a so-called Earth-centered, Earth-fixed or ECEF
reference frame). This variation is only a few meters.
west, of the Earth's instantaneous rotational axis or North pole
, from a conventionally defined reference axis, the CIO (Conventional International Origin
), being the pole's average location over the year 1900.
The two periodic parts are a more or less circular motion called Chandler wobble
with a period of about 435 days, and a yearly circular motion. There is also a slow drift which is less well known. These motions are illustrated on the Earth Orientation Center of the International Earth Rotation and Reference Systems Service
(mas = milliarcseconds corresponds to about 3 cm):
The mean displacement far exceeds the magnitude of the wobbles. This can lead to errors in software for Earth observing spacecraft, since analysts may read off a 5 meter circular motion and ignore it, while a 20 meter offset exists, fouling the accuracy of the calculated latitude
and longitude
. The latter are determined based on the International Terrestrial Reference System
, which follows the polar motion.
melts, and to isostatic rebound, i.e. the slow rise of land that was formerly burdened with ice sheets or glaciers. The drift is roughly along the 80th meridian west
.
Major earthquakes cause abrupt polar motion by altering the volume distribution of the Earth's solid mass. These shifts, however, are quite small in magnitude relative to the long-term core/mantle and isostatic rebound components of polar motion.
Earth
Earth is the third planet from the Sun, and the densest and fifth-largest of the eight planets in the Solar System. It is also the largest of the Solar System's four terrestrial planets...
's rotational axis across its surface. This is measured with respect to a reference frame in which the solid Earth is fixed (a so-called Earth-centered, Earth-fixed or ECEF
ECEF
ECEF stands for Earth-Centered, Earth-Fixed, and is a Cartesian coordinate system, and is sometimes known as a "conventional terrestrial" system. It represents positions as an X, Y, and Z coordinate. The point is defined as the center of mass of the earth, hence the name Earth-Centered...
reference frame). This variation is only a few meters.
Analysis
It consists of two quasi-periodic components and a gradual drift, mostly in the direction of the 80th meridianMeridian (geography)
A meridian is an imaginary line on the Earth's surface from the North Pole to the South Pole that connects all locations along it with a given longitude. The position of a point along the meridian is given by its latitude. Each meridian is perpendicular to all circles of latitude...
west, of the Earth's instantaneous rotational axis or North pole
North Pole
The North Pole, also known as the Geographic North Pole or Terrestrial North Pole, is, subject to the caveats explained below, defined as the point in the northern hemisphere where the Earth's axis of rotation meets its surface...
, from a conventionally defined reference axis, the CIO (Conventional International Origin
Conventional International Origin
Conventional International Origin is a conventionally defined reference axis of the pole's average location over the year 1900.Polar motion is the movement of Earth's rotation axis across its surface. The axis of the Earth's rotation tends, as the axis of a gyroscope, to maintain its orientation ...
), being the pole's average location over the year 1900.
The two periodic parts are a more or less circular motion called Chandler wobble
Chandler wobble
The Chandler wobble is a small motion in the Earth's axis of rotation relative to the Earth's surface, which was discovered by American astronomer Seth Carlo Chandler in 1891. It amounts to on the Earth's surface and has a period of 433 days...
with a period of about 435 days, and a yearly circular motion. There is also a slow drift which is less well known. These motions are illustrated on the Earth Orientation Center of the International Earth Rotation and Reference Systems Service
International Earth Rotation and Reference Systems Service
The International Earth Rotation and Reference Systems Service , formerly the International Earth Rotation Service, is the body responsible for maintaining global time and reference frame standards, notably through its Earth Orientation Parameter and International Celestial Reference System ...
(mas = milliarcseconds corresponds to about 3 cm):
- polar motion from 2005 until the last week
- x coordinate from 1962 until the last week
- y coordinate from 1962 until the last week
The mean displacement far exceeds the magnitude of the wobbles. This can lead to errors in software for Earth observing spacecraft, since analysts may read off a 5 meter circular motion and ignore it, while a 20 meter offset exists, fouling the accuracy of the calculated latitude
Latitude
In geography, the latitude of a location on the Earth is the angular distance of that location south or north of the Equator. The latitude is an angle, and is usually measured in degrees . The equator has a latitude of 0°, the North pole has a latitude of 90° north , and the South pole has a...
and longitude
Longitude
Longitude is a geographic coordinate that specifies the east-west position of a point on the Earth's surface. It is an angular measurement, usually expressed in degrees, minutes and seconds, and denoted by the Greek letter lambda ....
. The latter are determined based on the International Terrestrial Reference System
International Terrestrial Reference System
The International Terrestrial Reference System describes procedures for creating reference frames suitable for use with measurements on or near the Earth's surface. This is done in much the same way that a physical standard might be described as a set of procedures for creating a realization of...
, which follows the polar motion.
Causes
The slow drift, about 20 m since 1900, is partly due to motions in the Earth's core and mantle, and partly to the redistribution of water mass as the Greenland ice sheetGreenland ice sheet
The Greenland ice sheet is a vast body of ice covering , roughly 80% of the surface of Greenland. It is the second largest ice body in the world, after the Antarctic Ice Sheet. The ice sheet is almost long in a north-south direction, and its greatest width is at a latitude of 77°N, near its...
melts, and to isostatic rebound, i.e. the slow rise of land that was formerly burdened with ice sheets or glaciers. The drift is roughly along the 80th meridian west
80th meridian west
The meridian 80° west of Greenwich is a line of longitude that extends from the North Pole across the Arctic Ocean, North America, the Atlantic Ocean, the Caribbean Sea, Central America, South America, the Pacific Ocean, the Southern Ocean, and Antarctica to the South Pole.In Antarctica, the...
.
Major earthquakes cause abrupt polar motion by altering the volume distribution of the Earth's solid mass. These shifts, however, are quite small in magnitude relative to the long-term core/mantle and isostatic rebound components of polar motion.