Summary
When compared with classical Fourier or spectral analysis there are several remarkable advantages of the wavelet analysis. In particular, it allows the time localisation of an unstable quasiharmonic signal within a given data set. This paper concentrates on seasonal variations and on the short-period, i.e. subseasonal fluctuations of Earth rotation. The analysis of length of day (lod) series yields in the high frequency range periods of 28 days, 14 days down to 5.6 days caused by the lunisolar tides and irregular periodic variations between 40 and 150 days. These are mainly excited by global zonal winds. For the semi-annual variations of lod a correlation with El Niño events and with the antarctic circumpolar current can be seen. The main seasonal components of polar motion are the prograde annual and semi-annual variations. Both get maximal amplitudes one to two years after strong El Niño events. Additionally, variable periods in polar motion with periods between two and five months and even down to periods of 8–10 days can be seen in the wavelet spectrum of the short-period range.
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Schmitz-Hübsch, H., Schuh, H. (2003). Seasonal and Short-Period Fluctuations of Earth Rotation Investigated by Wavelet Analysis. In: Grafarend, E.W., Krumm, F.W., Schwarze, V.S. (eds) Geodesy-The Challenge of the 3rd Millennium. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-662-05296-9_12
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-662-05296-9_12
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