Solar rotation, earth rotation and solar wind

Abstract

It is generally accepted that the annual variation in the Earth's rotation rate is fully determined by large-scale seasonal changes in atmospheric circulation. We demonstrate that the oscillations of both the Earth's rotation and the atmospheric circulation exhibit a 22-year periodicity. Differences between positive and negative polarity solar cycles are also found in the solar rotation rates, solar wind velocity and interplanetary magnetic field parameters, and suggest that the solar wind mediates the transfer of angular momentum from the Sun to the Earth.