Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-dlnhk Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-29T19:33:11.843Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

Direct contribution of the surface layers to the Earth's dynamical flattening

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 October 2007

Y. Liu
Affiliation:
Shanghai Astronomical Observatory. China 80 Nandan Road, Shanghai 200030, China email: [email protected] Graduate University of Chinese Academy of Science
C. L. Huang
Affiliation:
Shanghai Astronomical Observatory. China 80 Nandan Road, Shanghai 200030, China email: [email protected]
Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Core share and HTML view are not available for this content. However, as you have access to this content, a full PDF is available via the ‘Save PDF’ action button.

The global dynamic flattening (H) is an important quantity in research of rotating Earth. Precession observations give Hobs = 0.0032737 ≈ 1/305.5. We recalculate the geometrical flattening profile of the Earth interior from potential theory in hydrostatic equilibrium. Results coincide with that of Denis (1989). We derive expression for H to the third-order accuracy and obtain HPREM = 1/308.5. This matches similar studies, in which there is a difference about 1% between this and the observed value. In order to understand where this difference comes from, we replace the homogenous outermost crust and oceanic layers in PREM with some real surface layers data, such as oceanic layer (ECCO), topography data (GTOPO30), crust data (CRUST2.0) and mixed data (ETOPO5). Our results deviate from the observed value more than HPREM. These results verify the isostasy theory indirectly and may imply that the “positive” effects from such as mantle circulation associated with the density anomalies maybe larger than thought before.

Type
Contributed Papers
Copyright
Copyright © International Astronomical Union 2008

References

Dehant, V. & Capitaine, N. 1997, CeMDA, 65, 439Google Scholar
Denis, C. 1989, Physics and Evolution of the Earth's Interior, 4, 111Google Scholar
Dziewonski, A. M. & Anderson, D. L. 1981, PEPI, 25, 297Google Scholar