Transcript PPT - MIT

12.201/12.501
Essentials of Geophysics
Geodesy and Earth Rotation
Prof. Thomas Herring
[email protected]
http://www-gpsg.mit.edu/~tah
Today’s Topics
• More complete analysis of Earth rotation variations
and what they tell us about the Earth’s interior and
exterior
– Rigid body rotation review
– Incorporation of fluid effects namely the fluid inner core and
external fluids such as oceans and atmosphere
• Measurements of Earth rotation
– Very long baseline interferometry: Measurement relative to an
extra-galactic reference frame
– Global Positioning System (GPS): Measurement relative to
Earth orbiting spacecraft
– Satellite Laser Ranging: Measurement relative to orbiting body
but one with better dynamical behavior than GPS.
10/13/04
12.201/12.501
2
Rigid Body Rotation
• Fundamental equation of a rotating body: The rate of
change of the angular momentum in a non-rotating
frame equals the applied torque.
• Defining the angular momentum H with
H  r  p for single point, p = mv
v    r for rotating body
 r  (  r)dM for a rotating body
=  (r   r r )dM Moment of inertia
H=
I jk
2
jk
j k
H = I 
See: scienceworld.wolfram.com/physics/AngularMomentum.html

10/13/04
12.201/12.501
3

Rigid body rotation
• With the angular momentum defined, and torque
defined as L=rxF where F is the force applied, we
have
Ý L in non - rotating frame
dH / dt  H
Ý   H  L in a frame rotating with angular velocity 
H
• You will see both forms used.
• Non-rotating form used for externally applied torques
such as those from Sun and Moon: Yields motion of
rotation axis in space (precession nutation)
• Rotating form for terrestrial problems such as
atmospheric excitation of motion of rotation axis with
respect to the crust (polar motion)
10/13/04
12.201/12.501
4
Moments of Inertia
• Moments of inertia are related to the Earth’s gravity
through the Stokes coefficients Cnm and Snm ie.,
when gravity potential expanded as:

n

R n
GM 
V (r, , ) 
1    (Cnm cos(m)  Snm sin( m))Pnm (sin  )
r  n 2 m 0r 

2(n  m)!
n
(r')
Pnm (sin  ')cos(m ')dM

n
MR (n  m)!
2(n  m)!
n

(r')
Pnm (sin  ')sin( m')dM

n
MR (n  m)!
Cnm 
Snm
• Substituting P20, P21 and P22 forms in the above
equations yields:
10/13/04
12.201/12.501
5
Moments of Inertia
• Relationship between gravity field coefficients and
moments of inertia:
C20  [I33  (I11  I22 ) /2]/ MR 2
C21  I13 / MR 2
S21  I23 / MR 2
C22  (I11  I22 ) /4 MR 2 S22  I12 /2MR 2
• Notice that there are only 5-Stokes coefficients but 6
moments of inertia. (Also need R radius of the Earth
 and M its mass).
• To obtain all the moments of inertia: We use the
precession constant but care is needed
10/13/04
12.201/12.501
6
Precession constant
• The rate of precession of the rotation due to constant
part of the luni-solar torques (the lunar orbit is near the
plane of the Earth’s orbit about the sun, and the
Earth’s equator is inclined by 23.5 degrees to the orbit
plane (e obliquity of the ecliptic).
 prec
3 G (C  A) M 

cose
3
2W C
R
C  I33
A  (I11  I22 ) /2
• W is average rotation rate and M and R are mass and
average distance to body

10/13/04
12.201/12.501
7
Cautions with Precession constant
• Equations are strictly solved for a biaxial ellipsoidal body
• Precession is the secular motion of the rotation axis in space.
Orbit perturbations introduce periodic terms called nutation.
• Precession constant is measured over a finite duration of time (a
mere 20-years for current estimate using very-long-baseline
interferometry). Historically, optical telescope data used for about
1 century. There are long period nutation contributions from
planetary orbits
• There is a general relativistic contribution to the secular motion
called geodetic precession
• In modern use; all the nutation terms and precession are used to
obtain (C-A)/C called the “dynamic ellipticity”
10/13/04
12.201/12.501
8
Rotation: Rigid body
• Using the equations of angular momentum and
moments of inertia in a rotating frame (Euler’s
equations) we obtain:
d /dt(I   )    (I   )  L
In a principal axis system, I is diagonal and for a
bi - axial ellipsoid only two elements A = I11  I22 and C = I33
d1 /dt  [(C  A) /C] 2 3  L1 / A
d 2 /dt  [(C  A) /C]1 3  L2 / A
d 3 /dt  L3 /C
10/13/04
12.201/12.501
9
Chandler Wobble
• Solution to the previous equations when the torque is
zero generates 3=W constant and a resonance
frequency of 1 and 2 of [(C-A)/A]Wscw
• Notice that once the bi-axial assumption is made, the
Euler equations decouple into rotation rate terms and
rotation axis direction.
• Rotation rate variations are measured as changes in
the length of day (LOD) relative to atomic time
standards (post 1950’s). Prior to 1950, ephemeris
time was used (time that made Newton’s equations of
motion work).
• The direction of the rotation relative to the crust of the
Earth is called polar motion.
10/13/04
12.201/12.501
10
Nature of temporal variations
• In the figures shown:
– Short period variations (periods less than a year) are driven mainly by
atmospheric angular momentum variations.
– For polar motion: Signal is dominated by “beat” of 433-day period
Chandler Wobble with annual signal (A beat generates signals with
sum and difference of frequencies)
– Secular drift of polar motion thought to be due to post-glacial rebound
changing the position of the maximum moment of inertia.
– Oceans have sizable contribution to polar motion.
– Long period LOD changes thought to be due to exchange of angular
momentum between fluid core and mantle. Couple mechanism still
not clear.
– For atmosphere and oceans infer angular momentum from
measurements and assimilation models
– For fluid core: Angular momentum comes from magnetic field
variations.
10/13/04
12.201/12.501
11
Chandler wobble variations
0.60
CIO 1900-1905
Pole Position (") (0.5"=15m)
0.40
0.20
0.00
-0.20
-0.40
X Pole (")
-0.60
1900.0
1920.0
1940.0
1960.0
Y Pole (")
1980.0
2000.0
Year
10/13/04
12.201/12.501
12
Recent polar motion
10.0
1993
X Pole (m)
5.0
0.0
2001
-5.0
Pole Position
-10.0
20.0
10/13/04
15.0
10.0
Y Pole (m)
12.201/12.501
5.0
0.0
13
Length of Day
4.0
LOD = Difference of day from 86400. seconds
3.0
2.0
LOD (ms)
1.0
0.0
-1.0
LOD (ms)
LOD (ms)
-2.0
-3.0
-4.0
1800.0
10/13/04
1850.0
1900.0
Year
12.201/12.501
1950.0
2000.0
14
Recent length of day
3.0
LOD = Difference of day from 86400. seconds
2.5
2.0
LOD (ms)
1.5
1.0
0.5
0.0
LOD (ms)
LOD (ms)
-0.5
-1.0
1992.0
1994.0
1996.0
1998.0
2000.0
2002.0
Year
10/13/04
12.201/12.501
15
Including deformation and fluid core
• For a deformable body, the equations of motion are
written as a complex equation for polar motion:
Define : 1  Wm1  2  Wm2 and m = m1  im2
i(m
Ý/s cw)  m   where s cw is Chandler Wobble frequency
  [1/W2 (C  A)][W2I  iWIÝ Wh  ihÝ iL]
• The last equation is the “excitation” function and
involves changes in moments of inertia (mass term)
and angular momentum of components of the system
(such as the atmosphere). Care is needed here since
it is possible to compute the torque from the
atmosphere (L) or include its angular momentum
10/13/04
12.201/12.501
16
Solution to equation
• If the excitation function is known (through
atmospheric and ocean models), the previous
equation can be integrated to yield:
t
m  es cw t [mo  is cw   (t)es cw  d ]

or system can be solved for a periodic variation
 (t) =  oe

s t
• In the periodic form, the amplitude of the polar motion
depends on 1/(scw-s) where swc is the Chandler
wobble frequency
10/13/04
12.201/12.501
17

Addition of fluid core
• When the fluid core is added to the equations, two sets of coupled
equations are obtained
m
Ý iW[(C  A) / Am ]m  iW[(C  A) / Am ]
nÝ iW(1 f c )(m  n)  0
• Where n is rotation vector of fluid core relative to mantle fixed
axes, fc is dynamic ellipticity of the core and subscript m means
mantle.
• In this derivation, the fluid core acts like a rigid body and the
momentum associated with the fluid flow needed to rotate inside
the elliptical core-mantle boundary is second order (and
neglected). The flattening of the fluid core is a proxy for the
coupling between the mantle and the core.
• In newer versions fc is replaced with terms that include magnetic
coupling
10/13/04
12.201/12.501
18
Fluid core effects
• The solution to the coupled equations still has a Chandler wobble
resonance but now the frequency is
scw=(A/Am)(1+fc)sr
where sr is the rigid body Chandler wobble frequency
• A new resonance appears in the system and this term has a
period very close to one-day. Its frequency is approximately:
sfcn = -W[1+(A/Am)fc]
• This term is called the “free core nutation” and is very well
observed with VLBI.
• The equivalent to polar motion in nutations are nutations in
obliquity and longitudexsin(obliquity).
• Next figure shows the differences between measured VLBI
nutation angles and predictions from hydrostatic earth model.
Three different analysis centers are shown.
10/13/04
12.201/12.501
19
10/13/04
12.201/12.501
20
Recent papers of topic
• Modern theories of the nutation include also the effects
of the solid inner core with both mechanical and
electromagnetic coupling.
• Ocean and atmospheres are not coupled in current
solutions (rather there angular momentum is computed
and applied).
• Mathews, P. M., T. A. Herring, and B. A. Buffett, Modeling of NutationPrecession: New nutation series for nonrigid Earth, and insights into the
Earth's interior, in press J. Geophs. Res., ETG 3-26,
2001JB000390, 2002.
• Buffett, B. A., P. M. Mathews, and Herring, T. A., Modeling of NutationPrecession: Effects of the Magnetic Coupling, J. Geophs. Res., ETG 514, 2001JB000056, 2002.
• Herring, T. A., P. M. Mathews, and B. A. Buffett, Modeling of NutationPrecession: Very long baseline interferometry results, J. Geophs. Res.,
ETG 4-12, 2001JB000165, 2002.
10/13/04
12.201/12.501
21
Rotation variation angles
• Changes in rotation rate are expressed as length-of-day (LOD)
changes. The integrated effected is called Universal Time 1
(UT1). The atomic clock derived time is called UT coordinated
(UTC). VLBI measures UT1-UTC and LOD is obtained by
differentiation.
• Polar motion: Position of rotation axis with respect to the crust.
“Long period” (> 1 day) variations in this frame
• Nutation: Position of rotation axis in space. “Long period” in
inertial space.
• Separation between polar motion and nutation not-unique. Long
period variations in space are nearly diurnal in a crust fixed frame
(due to rotation of earth).
• Only three angles needed to rotate between crust fixed frame and
inertial frame, separation is based on frequency content; nearly
diurnal variations are nutations
10/13/04
12.201/12.501
22
Measurement of Earth Rotation
• Main techniques:
– Very long baseline interferometry (VLBI): Measures difference in
arrival times of radio signal (2 and 8 GHz usually) from extragalatic
radio sources.
• Time difference measured to about 10 mm accuracy. Requires large
(usually fixed) radio telescopes (10-30 m diameters). Limited number of
systems around the world
• Reference system is stable, inertial frame radio sources (quasars normally).
Extremely good for UT1 and nutation angles.
– Global Positioning System (GPS): Measures propagation delay and
phase of signals from ~28 orbiting high-altitude satellites (20,000 km).
• Measurement accuracy a few millimeters for phase. System inexpensive (510K$). Hundreds of systems around the world
• Reference system is satellite orbits and so orbit perturbations need to be
modeled (and estimated). High altitude helps but satellites are active and
this complicates orbit determination.
• Very good a polar motion (many stations) and LOD. Even nutation angle
rates of change are useful but limited.
10/13/04
12.201/12.501
23
Measurements of Earth rotation
• Satellite laser ranging
– Measure two-way travel time from ground based telescope to
orbiting satellite with corner cube reflectors (including the
Moon).
• Range accuracy of order 10 mm for good systems but only one
satellite at a time
• Reference frame is satellite orbits (such as LAGEOS). Orbital
dynamics is better than GPS but only a few good geodynamics
satellites. Polar motion not as good at GPS (few stations), LOD
probably not as good either.
• International Earth Rotation Service (IERS)
– Combines earth rotation measurements from many different
groups and produces official earth rotation values
– www.iers.org is their web page with links to components.
10/13/04
12.201/12.501
24