www.ecco-group.org/abstracts/woce_rui.txt

Global ocean circulation and mass fields 
and the Earth's variable rotation

Rui M. Ponte, Detlef Stammer, Carl Wunsch

Advances in modeling and observational capabilities occurring in 
recent years as part of the WOCE legacy have made possible the
realistic determination of the ocean circulation and mass fields on a
global scale.  With the ability to calculate these time varying fields
came the opportunity to study globally integrated quantities such as
ocean angular momentum (OAM).  Global estimates of sea level, density,
and horizontal currents are used to show that improved OAM estimates
are being obtained from advanced ocean state estimation methods.  
Comparisons with independent Earth rotation data demonstrate the good 
quality of OAM estimates and reveal the importance of OAM variability 
in explaining observed signals in length of day and polar motion.  
The equatorial components of OAM are particularly relevant for the 
planet's rotation budget and can account for a major part of the
Chandler and seasonal wobble excitation, thus providing an answer to a
long standing unsolved problem in geophysics.  Results point to the
value of combining satellite altimetry and gravity data, Earth rotation
data, and ocean models to address various oceanographic and geodetic
research questions in the future.

1	Global ocean circulation and mass fields
2	and the Earth's variable rotation
3
4	Rui M. Ponte, Detlef Stammer, Carl Wunsch
5
6	Advances in modeling and observational capabilities occurring in
7	recent years as part of the WOCE legacy have made possible the
8	realistic determination of the ocean circulation and mass fields on a
9	global scale. With the ability to calculate these time varying fields
10	came the opportunity to study globally integrated quantities such as
11	ocean angular momentum (OAM). Global estimates of sea level, density,
12	and horizontal currents are used to show that improved OAM estimates
13	are being obtained from advanced ocean state estimation methods.
14	Comparisons with independent Earth rotation data demonstrate the good
15	quality of OAM estimates and reveal the importance of OAM variability
16	in explaining observed signals in length of day and polar motion.
17	The equatorial components of OAM are particularly relevant for the
18	planet's rotation budget and can account for a major part of the
19	Chandler and seasonal wobble excitation, thus providing an answer to a
20	long standing unsolved problem in geophysics. Results point to the
21	value of combining satellite altimetry and gravity data, Earth rotation
22	data, and ocean models to address various oceanographic and geodetic
23	research questions in the future.
24