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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Acknowledgments

This study was supported by the National Basic Research Program of China (No. 2012CB957804) and the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos. 41505079 and 41375069). The authors are grateful for the comments and suggestions provided by four anonymous reviewers, which helped to improve the paper.

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