Rotational Deformation of the Earth and Major Planets.
Abstract
Recently developed third-order theory of hydrostatic equilibrium to study the deformations which the Earth, Jupiter, and Saturn undergo because of their rotational motion were applied. For the Earth, input the Bullen, HB1, 1066A, and QM2 density models to solve the Clairaut equation numerically and compare the results with data obtained from satellites. A linearized version of the Navier-Stokes equation is next developed to take into account the elastic characteristics of the Earth and to model the shear stresses and convection currents existing in the Earth's upper layers. The numerical solution of this last equation, however, is left for future reporting. For Jupiter and Saturn, use the DeMarcus density profile in conjunction with the Brouwer and Clemence data and compare results with an older attempt and some recent work based on a different density profile and a less sophisticated equilibrium theory. The third-order theory leads to the Clairaut equation with boundary conditions and is amenable to a rapid and accurate numerical solution. Method appears to be an improvement to the present state of the art in planetology. This avoids the use of complicated systems of integral equations that are difficult to solve numerically.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Aug 18, 1978
- Accession Number
- ADA060900
Entities
People
- John C. Daley
- Paolo Lanzano
Organizations
- United States Naval Research Laboratory