Discovery of 500-day period component in the Earth's polar motion

  • Published : 2010.10.06

Abstract

Earth's polar motion has been known for more than one century, and it has been monitored by astrometric observation and recently by space geodetic technique. The Chandler and the annual wobbles are two dominant parts of Earth's polar motion. But according to our recent analysis on a relevant and accurate dataset, another polar motion component, of which period is about 500 days, exists with an amplitude of 20 milliarcseconds in average. This third largest component of polar motion should be caused by resonance of unidentified oscillating mode of Earth, possibly Earth's inner core wobble.

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