The application of geodetic radio interferometric surveying to the monitoring of sea-level |
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| Authors: | W E Carter D S Robertson T E Pyle J Diamante |
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| Institution: | National Geodetic Survey, Charting and Geodetic Services, National Ocean Service, NOAA, Rockville, Maryland 20852, USA;Ocean and Atmospheric Research, NOAA, Rockville, Maryland 20852, USA |
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| Abstract: | Summary. Under project IRIS (International Radio Interferometric Surveying) geodesists are using Very Long Baseline Interferometry (VLBI) to monitor polar motion to 1-2 ms of arc and UT1 to 0.05-0.10 ms, and to develop a global geodynamic network to detect and study centimetre level displacements of reference points associated with large-scale phenomena such as tectonic plate motion and glacial rebound. Differential positioning techniques using the signals broadcast by the satellites of the Global Positioning System (GPS) are being used to study finer scale phenomena, such as localized subsidence, and economically to relate these specialized surveys to the geodynamic network. Including tide gauge stations in this system will make it possible to detect motions of specific gauges and correct or delete the measurements from those gauges when computing changes in sea-level. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has selected several tide gauges on the east and west coasts of the United States, and initial epoch GPS surveys to tie the gauges to VLBI observations have already begun. Other countries participating in project IRIS are planning similar activities. In addition to providing a globally based land reference datum for the tide gauge measurements, the IRIS polar motion and UT1 time series may contribute directly to monitoring and interpreting global sea level changes. Changes in the volume and distribution of ice masses result in long-term motions of the axis of rotation, and sea-level changes affect the length of day (lod). The IRIS time series will certainly have the resolution required to detect the expected polar motion and changes in lod, and a properly designed global VLBI/GPS network should allow the ice/sea-level effects to be separated from crustal dynamics effects. |
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| Keywords: | sea-level Earth rotation VLBI GPS |
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