Relationship between polar motion and key hydrological elements at multiple scales

Changes in the elements of the Earth system are closely related.Finding the key factors linked with hydrological changes is significant for in-depth analysis of hydrological changes.This study chooses polar motion,which is the movement of the Earth’s rotational axis relative to its crust,as a key factor in the investigation of the physical processes of its interaction with several hydrological elements.First,the statistical relationships between polar motion and multi-hydrological elements(i.e.,precipitation,evaporation,runoff,and terrestrial water storage)are investigated,using trend analysis,mutation analysis,cycle analysis,and correlation analysis methods,from basinal to global and from intra-annual to inter-annual scales.Second,their interactions are explored.The study quantifies the effect of hydrological changes on polar motion using the excitation function.It explores the effect of polar motion on hydrological changes based on the theory of equilibrium tides and atmospheric dynamics.The results show that they are significantly correlated and abruptly changed at a similar time.First,regional to global hydrological changes can significantly excite polar motion.From April 2002 to June 2020,the global terrestrial water storage decreased significantly(by approximately−4.68 mm yr^(−1)),which significantly drove polar motion towards the direction of the Greenwich Meridian(by approximately 4.32 mas yr^(−1)).Changes in regional terrestrial water storage also contributed significantly to directional changes in polar motion around 2005 and 2012.Second,polar motion can perturb the Earth’s centrifugal force system and generate equilibrium tides,and thus further cause changes in sea-level pressure,wind,and water vapor transport.Results show that polar motion-induced water vapor flux divergences correlate significantly with actual precipitation and terrestrial water storage changes in the Yangtze River and the Pearl River basins.Their correlations are also significant when trends are removed,and the polar motion-induced changes are 4 to 14 months earlier.This study further demonstrates the relationship between polar motion and hydrological changes and helps to understand the related factors of hydrological changes in other Earth systems.