Chandler Wobble, Pole Tide, and Sea Level Fluctuations in the World Ocean

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Abstract

The 14-month sea level oscillations (P14) in the World Ocean, known as the “pole tide”, are assumed to be caused by the “Chandler Wobble”, which are free nutation oscillations in Earth’s axis of rotation with approximately the same period. The maximum amplitudes of these oscillations, observed in the North and Baltic seas, are up to 5–6.5 cm, which are 6–8 times greater than the theoretical values of the pole tide. To examine the nature of this phenomenon, we used longterm (>80 years) data from approximately 100 tide gauges in the two seas. We found that the regional amplification of the 14-month oscillations has a meteorological origin and are associated with corresponding variations in the zonal wind, rather than with the polar motions. Enhancement of the P14 oscillations in the easternmost sectors of the Baltic Sea (in the gulfs of Finland and Bothnia) and in the southeastern sector of the North Sea appear to be related to the shallowness of these regions and to the general tendency for sea level to increase from the “entrance” to the basin’s “head”.

About the authors

I. P Medvedev

Shirshov Institute of Oceanology, RAS

Email: medvedev@ocean.ru
Moscow, Russia

A. B Rabinovich

Shirshov Institute of Oceanology, RAS

Email: a.b.rabinovich@gmail.com
Moscow, Russia

E. A Kulikov

Shirshov Institute of Oceanology, RAS

Moscow, Russia

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