Interannual variations in length of day and atmospheric angular momentum, and their seasonal associations with El Niño/Southern Oscillation-like sea surface temperature patterns

Abstract

This study examines the seasonal connections between the interannual variations in LOD (length of day)/AAM_globe (the relative atmospheric angular momentum for the whole globe) and the ENSO-like SST (El Niño/Southern Oscillation-like sea surface temperature) pattern and corresponding zonal and vertical circulations. Consistent with previous studies, the ENSO-like SST impact the following season LOD/AAM_globe, with the strongest correlations in DJF (December, January, and February), when it is likely to be the peak El Niño/La Niña period. Lag correlations between the interannual variations in LOD/AAM_globe and surface temperature, and the interannual variations in LOD and both zonal circulation and vertical airflow around the equator, consistently indicate that the LOD/AAM_globe reflect the potential impacts of variations in the Earth’s rotation rate on the following season’s sea surface temperatures (SST) over the tropical central and eastern Pacific (where the ENSO-like SST pattern is located). Moreover, the centers of strongest variation in the AAM_column (the relative atmospheric angular momentum for an air column and the unit mass over a square meter) are located over the mid-latitudinal North Pacific in DJF and MAM (March, April, and May), and over the mid-latitudinal South Pacific in JJA (June, July, and August) and SON (September, October, and November). This suggests that the AAM_column over the mid-latitudinal Pacific around 30°N (30°S) dominate the modulation of Earth’s rotation rate, and then impact the variations in LOD during DJF and MAM (JJA and SON).

Keywords

four season features / interannual variation / length of day / atmospheric angular momentum / ENSO-like SST pattern

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