A note on the annual wobble excitation due to the seasonal atmospheric loading on continents

Abstract

Northern Eurasian continent has been regarded to contribute as the major source area, of which seasonal atmospheric pressure loading and unloading cycle leads to the annual wobble of the Earth. In the early days when reliable data of global coverage were not accessible, this dominance has remained as only a hypothesis. Nowadays, however, European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts and National Centers for Environmental Prediction produce reliable datasets, therefore, such unique feature has become clearer with quantitative evidences. Having both the Earth’s polar motion and the global atmospheric state known with unprecedented accuracy, we hereby identify and scrutinize whether Siberia and Manchuria dominate the annual polar motion of the Earth.