Chandler wobble


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Chandler wobble

(chand -ler) A small continuous variation in the location of the geographic poles on the Earth's surface. It leads to a variation of latitude of points on the Earth because latitude is measured from the equator midway between the poles. It does not affect the celestial coordinates of a body. The variation in polar location is resolved into two almost circular components, one (diameter: 6 meters; period: 12 months) resulting from seasonal changes in ice, snow, and atmospheric mass distribution; the second (diameter: 3–15 meters; period: 428 days) is believed to arise from movements of material within the Earth.
Collins Dictionary of Astronomy © Market House Books Ltd, 2006

Chandler wobble

[′chand·lər ‚wäb·əl]
(geophysics)
A movement in the earth's axis of rotation, the period of motion being about 14 months. Also known as Eulerian nutation.
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of Scientific & Technical Terms, 6E, Copyright © 2003 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
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References in periodicals archive ?
(2002), who found that the rapid changes in the Chandler wobble phase follow the GMJ with a delay of 1-3 years.
Free core nutation: new large disturbance and connection evidence with geomagnetic jerks
The wobble in Earth's axis of rotation is a combination of two major components: Chandler wobble, thought to arise as Earth is not rigid, and another is the annual wobble, related to Earth's orbit around the sun.
Climate change causing Earth's poles to shift
* Motion of the oceans, that cause the additional forcing of polar motion (namely the excitation of the free Chandler wobble), diurnal and sub-diurnal polar motion, and variations of the speed of rotation;
IERS and its importance for global geodynamics
* Mystery solved: Long-term fluctuations in pressure at the ocean's bottom appear to drive the Chandler wobble, which causes the North Pole to wander a path of about 20 feet every 14 months (158: 111).
SCIENCE NEWS of the Year
These elements combine in an effect known as the Chandler wobble to create polar motion.
Orientation of Earth's axis analysed in 1st ever direct measurement
Here [e.sub.R] denotes the dynamical ellipticity of the rigid Earth used to compute the rigid solution, [N.sub.0], [Q.sub.j] are complex "strength" parameters, and [s.sub.j] are four complex resonance frequencies corresponding to Chandler Wobble (CW, with terrestrial period of about 435 days), retrograde FCN (with celestial period of about 430 days), Prograde Free Core Nutation (PFCN, with celestial period of about 1020 days) and Inner Core Wobble (ICW, with terrestrial period of about 2400 days), respectively.
Stability of period and quality factor of free core nutation
By itself, the Chandler wobble 0would cause the pole to move back and forth about 20 feet every 14 months.
Solving one mystery of polar wander
Here [e.sub.R] denotes the dynamical ellipticity of the rigid Earth used to compute the rigid solution, [N.sub.0], [Q.sub.j] are complex constants, and [s.sub.j] are four complex resonance frequencies corresponding to Chandler Wobble (CW, with terrestrial period of about 435 days), RFCN, with celestial period of about 430 days, Prograde Free Core Nutation (PFCN, with celestial period of about 1020 days) and Inner Core Wobble (ICW, with terrestrial period of about 2400 days) respectively.
Quasi-diurnal atmospheric and oceanic excitation of nutation
Because of a puzzling phenomenon called the Chandler wobble, they will probably sit about 10 meters apart.
Wherefore the world's wobble?

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