Physics of the Earth's rotation instabilities

摘要

This paper generalizes the results of investigations on the instabilities of the Earth's rotation and related geophysical processes. Long series of observations of the Earth's orientation parameters are demonstrated. The tidal variations in the length of the day are described. The temporal variations in the atmospheric angular momentum and their contribution to the instabilities of the Earth's rotation are studied. The mechanisms of seasonal variations in the length of the day and polar motion are discussed. The probable geophysical processes responsible for the decades-long (2–100 years) instability of the Earth's rotation are discussed.