Definition
Earth. Solid Earth including oceans and atmosphere.
Earth rotation. Temporal variation of the orientation and the rotation speed of the Earth.
Introduction
The rotation of the Earth or Earth rotation, respectively, specifies the spatiotemporal change of the Earth rotation vector. The direction of the Earth rotation vector corresponds to the instantaneous rotation axis of the Earth and its absolute value equals the rotation speed. The Earth’s rotation is not uniform and is given in terms of Earth orientation parameters (EOP): precession and nutation are long-term and periodic changes of the direction of the Earth rotation vector with respect to a space-fixed reference system. Polar motion is the variation of the direction of the Earth rotation vector with respect to an Earth-fixed reference system (qv Geodesy, Networks and Reference Systems ). Changes in the Earth rotation speed are expressed as deviations of Universal Time 1 (UT1) from the uniform atomic time (Universal...
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Bibliography
Altamimi, Z., Collilieux, X., Legrand, J., Garayt, B., and Boucher, C., 2007. ITRF2005: a new release of the International Terrestrial Reference Frame based on time series of station positions and Earth Orientation Parameters. Journal of Geophysical Research, 112, B09401, doi:10.1029/2007JB004949.
Barnes, R. T. H., Hide, R., White, A. A., and Wilson, C. A., 1983. Atmospheric angular momentum functions, length-of-day changes and polar motion. Proceedings. Royal Society of London, A387, 31–73.
de Viron, O., Dehant, V., Goosse, H., Crucifix, M., and Participating CMIP Modeling Groups, 2002. Effect of global warming on the length-of-day. Geophysical Research Letters, 29(7), 1146, doi:10.1029/2001GL013672.
Dick, W. R., and Richter, B. (eds.), 2009. IERS Annual Report 2007. International earth rotation and reference systems service, central bureau. Frankfurt am Main: Verlag des Bundesamts für Kartographie und Geodäsie.
Fey, A., Gordon, D., and Jacobs, C. S. (eds.), 2009. The Second Realization of the International Celestial Reference Frame by Very Long Baseline Interferometry, Presented on behalf of the IERS/IVS Working Group. IERS Technical Note 35. Frankfurt am Main: Verlag des Bundesamts für Kartographie und Geodäsie.
Gross, R. S., 2000. The excitation of the Chandler wobble. Geophysical Research Letters, 27(15), 2329–2332.
Gross, R. S., 2007. Earth rotation variations – long period. In Herring, T. A. (ed.), Physical Geodesy. Amsterdam: Elsevier. Treatise on Geophysics, Vol. 3.
Lambeck, K., 1980. The Earth’s Variable Rotation, Geophysical Causes and Consequences. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Mathews, P. M., Herring, T. A., and Buffett, B. A., 2002. Modeling of nutation and precession: new nutation series for nonrigid Earth, and insights into the Earth’s Interior. Journal of Geophysical Research, 107(B4), doi:10.1029/2001JB000390.
McCarthy, D. D., and Petit, G. (eds.), 2004. IERS Conventions (2003). IERS Technical Note 32. Frankfurt am Main: Verlag des Bundesamts für Kartographie und Geodäsie.
Moritz, H., and Mueller, I. I., 1987. Earth Rotation: Theory and Observation. New York: Ungar.
Morrison, L. V., and Stephenson, F. R., 2001. Historical eclipses and the variability of the Earth’s rotation. Journal of Geodynamics, 32(1–2), 247–265.
Munk, W. H., and MacDonald, G. J. F., 1960. The Rotation of the Earth: A Geophysical Discussion. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
IAU Resolutions, 2000. http://www.iau.org/static/resolutions/IAU2000_French.pdf
IAU Resolutions, 2006. http://www.iau.org/static/resolutions/IAU2006_French.pdf
Schreiber, U., Velikoseltsev, A., Rothacher, M., Klügel T., Stedman, G., and Wiltshire, D., 2004. Direct measurement of diurnal polar motion by ring laser gyroscopes. Journal of Geophysical Research, 109(B6), doi:10.1029/2003JB002803.
Schuh, H., Nagel, S., and Seitz, T., 2001. Linear drift and periodic variations observed in long time series of polar motion. Journal of Geodesy, 74, 701–710.
Seitz, F., and Schuh, H., 2010. Earth Rotation. In Xu, G. (ed.), Sciences of Geodesy. Berlin: Springer.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2011 Springer Science+Business Media B.V.
About this entry
Cite this entry
Schuh, H., Böhm, S. (2011). Earth Rotation. In: Gupta, H.K. (eds) Encyclopedia of Solid Earth Geophysics. Encyclopedia of Earth Sciences Series. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-90-481-8702-7_177
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-90-481-8702-7_177
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Dordrecht
Print ISBN: 978-90-481-8701-0
Online ISBN: 978-90-481-8702-7
eBook Packages: Earth and Environmental ScienceReference Module Physical and Materials ScienceReference Module Earth and Environmental Sciences