An Improbable Observation of the Diurnal Core Resonance

Abstract

The resonance associated with the ellipticity of the core-mantle boundary is usually measured with observations of either the Earth’s nutations, or of tidal gravity, strain, or tilt. But, improbably, it can also be seen in a dataset collected and processed with older and simpler technologies: the harmonic constants for the ocean tides. One effect of the resonance is to decrease the ratio of the amplitude of the P₁ constituent to the amplitude of the K₁ constituent to 0.96 of the ratio in the equilibrium tidal potential. The compilation of ocean-tide harmonic constants prepared by the International Hydrographic Bureau between 1930 and 1980 shows considerable scatter in this ratio; however, if problematic stations and regions are removed, this dataset clearly shows a decreased ratio. While these data apply only a weak constraint to the frequency of the resonance, they also show that the effect could have been observed long before it actually was.