The Arctic Ocean as a Coupled Oscillating System to the Forced 18.6 Year Lunar Gravity Cycle

Abstract

The Arctic Ocean is a substantial energy sink for the Earth’s Northern Hemisphere. Future fluctuations in its energy budget will have a major influence on the Arctic climate. A wavelet spectrum analysis of an extensive historical Arctic data series concludes that we may be able to understand Arctic climate dynamics as an oscillation system coupled to the forced 18.6 yr lunar nodal gravity cycle. This paper presents the results from a wavelet spectrum analysis of the data series which included polar move- ment, Arctic ice extent and the inflow of North Atlantic Water to the Norwegian Sea. The investigation shows a correlation better than R=0.6 between the astronomic 18.6 yr lunar nodal gravity cycle and identified 18 yr dominant cycles in the data series. The identified 18 yr cycles have phase-reversals synchronized to a 74 yr sub-harmonic lunar nodal cycle. 1