It is suggested that the coincidence of the period of rotation of the Earth and a natural period of vibration of the atmosphere is not fortuitous but due to the Earth being driven at a constant rate in synchronism with the vibration. An observation by Kelvin that the gravitational couple on the atmospheric tides accelerates the Earth's rotation is recalled, and the production of mechanical energy to balance the dissipation of the oceanic tides is discussed. The astronomical evidence supporting the current view that the rotation is being steadily retarded is reviewed and found to contain contradictions, and it is claimed that the high value of the angular momentum of the Earth-Moon orbit supports the hypothesis of equilibrium.
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E. R. R. Holmberg (1952) studied this question.