Probabilistic analysis of the data on atmospheric angular momentum for January 1, 1980 to March 27, 2003

The data series of the International Earth Rotation and Reference Systems Service and National Centers for Environmental Prediction () for 1982–2003 are analyzed. It is shown that the atmospheric component of polar motion can be treated as the anisotropic Markov process with discrete time, and the torque exerted by the atmosphere on the solid Earth, as the white noise. The intensity and characteristic correlation time of the process are estimated. The efficiency of the atmospheric mechanism in the excitation of the Chandler wobble is estimated in the context of the probabilistic model.