Impact of GPS Antenna Phase Center Models on Zenith Wet Delay and Tropospheric Gradients

in GPS Solutions (2019), 23(5),

We demonstrate the potential for the Global Positioning System (GPS) to provide highly accurate tropospheric products for use in meteorological applications. Tropospheric products, in particular the wet ... [more ▼]

We demonstrate the potential for the Global Positioning System (GPS) to provide highly accurate tropospheric products for use in meteorological applications. Tropospheric products, in particular the wet delays, are treated as an unknown parameter in GPS processing and are estimated with other parameters such as station coordinates. In this study, we investigate the effects of Phase Center Correction (PCC) models on tropospheric zenith wet delay (ZWD), integrated water vapor (IWV) and gradient products. Two solutions were generated using the GAMIT software over the EUREF Permanent GNSS Network (EPN). The first (reference) solution was derived by applying the International GNSS Service (IGS) type-mean PCC model, while for the second solution PCC models from individual calibrations were used. The solutions were generated identically, except for the PCC model differences. The two solutions were compared, with the assumption that common signals are differenced out. The comparison of the two solutions clearly shows a bias in all tropospheric products, which can be attributed to PCC model deficiencies. Overall, mean biases of ±1.8, ±0.3, ±0.14 and ±0.19 mm are evident in ZWD, IWV, North-South and East-West gradients, respectively. Moreover, the differences between the two solutions show seasonal variations. For all antenna types, the ZWD and IWV differences are dominated by white plus power-law noise, with latter characterizing the low-frequency spectrum. On the other hand, the horizontal gradients exhibit a white plus first order autoregressive noise characteristic with less than 1% white noise. The individual PCC model provides a better fit to an external independent model in terms of gradient estimate and also provides up to 3 % more carrier phase ambiguity resolution. [less ▲]

MULTI-GNSS ERROR CHARACTERISTICS AND BENEFITS TO LONG-TERM MONITORING APPLICATIONS IN GEOSCIENCES

Doctoral thesis (2018)

Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS)-derived position solutions are used for crustal deformations for long-term monitoring studies such as correcting sea-level records for vertical land movements and ... [more ▼]

Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS)-derived position solutions are used for crustal deformations for long-term monitoring studies such as correcting sea-level records for vertical land movements and to determine present-day surface-mass changes. In all these studies scientists rely heavily on precise International GNSS Service (IGS) products. In recent years the IGS products have partly been generated from a rigorous combination of GNSS, such as Global Positioning System (GPS) and Globalnaya Navigatsionnaya Sputnikovaya Sistema (GLONASS) observations. Although combined solutions from two or more GNSS benefit from the diversity and redundancy of having more than one GNSS, the solutions are also subjected to system-specific systematic errors. Applications which demand high-accuracy products, therefore, would profit from evaluations of the benefits and error characteristics of combined GNSS solutions. In response to the increased availability of multi-GNSS observations from a truly global ground network of receivers, the goal of this thesis is to investigate their overall impacts on the derived products. Primarily, the impacts of combined GNSS data processing for stations in a constrained environment with a potential for signal obstructions, is investigated. The effects of signal obstructions on derived parameter time series and station velocity estimates are assessed. The benefits of combined solutions are evaluated for stations in constrained environments. Moreover, the study of the impacts of combined solutions on satellite orbits and station parameters contributes to the understanding of the error characteristics of combined GNSS data processing on derived products. The consistency of the parameters, noise analysis and system-specific periodic errors are assessed. Dominant system specific periodic errors and the impact of combined solutions on reducing the effects are addressed. Unmodelled or insufficiently modelled (sub-)daily errors propagate to longer periods and appear in high-end products coinciding with other longer periods, which in turn may lead to misleading interpretations of the latter. The propagation mechanism mainly depends, among other factors, on data sampling deficiencies and GNSS ground repeat periods. Here, the results of this study show that combined solutions not only reduce system-specific effects but also provide a means to identifying the sources from other compatible elements. [less ▲]

Vertical Land Movements and Sea Level Changes around South Georgia Island

Poster (2018, April 09)

South Georgia Island in the Southern Atlantic Ocean is a key location for the seismic, geomagnetic and oceanic global monitoring networks. In its sub-Antarctic location, the island is largely covered by ... [more ▼]

South Georgia Island in the Southern Atlantic Ocean is a key location for the seismic, geomagnetic and oceanic global monitoring networks. In its sub-Antarctic location, the island is largely covered by mountain glaciers which have been reported to be retreating due to climatic change. Furthermore, during past glaciation periods the island and its shelf area have been ice covered as was revealed by scarring of the sub-oceanic topography. Together with ongoing tectonics along the North Scotia Ridge, these processes have the ability to produce significant uplift on local to regional scales, affecting the measurements of the tide gauge (GLOSS ID 187) at King Edward Point (KEP). Furthermore, with its mid-ocean location, the tide gauge is of particular interest to satellite altimetry calibrations over the Southern Atlantic and Southern Oceans. With the establishment of five GNSS stations on the islands during 2013 to 2015 and the scientific analysis of these data within the global network of stations of the International GNSS Service Tide Gauge Benchmark Monitoring (TIGA) working group, it has now become possible to study present-day vertical land movements of the region and their impacts on, for example, regional sea level. Furthermore, together with four precise levelling campaigns of the KEP benchmark network in 2013, 2014 and two in 2017, it has also been possible to investigate the very local character of the vertical motions near KEP, ie. the stability of the jetty upon which the tide gauge is mounted. In this study, we will present the still preliminary results from the GNSS and levelling measurements and will discuss their impact on the sea level record from the KEP tide gauge. Our measurements show that while South Georgia Island and the area around KEP are rising, the jetty and tide gauge are subsiding, leading to a disagreement in the observed sea level change from the tide gauge and satellite altimetry. In order to improve the agreement between these sea level measurements both local and regional vertical land movements need to be monitored. [less ▲]

First Vertical Land Movement Estimates on South Georgia Island: An Impact Study on Sea Level Change from Tide Gauge and Altimetry Measurements

Poster (2017, December 11)

South Georgia Island in the Southern Atlantic Ocean has been a key location for the seismic, geomagnetic and oceanic global monitoring networks. However, no permanent geodetic monitoring station had been ... [more ▼]

South Georgia Island in the Southern Atlantic Ocean has been a key location for the seismic, geomagnetic and oceanic global monitoring networks. However, no permanent geodetic monitoring station had been established there despite the lack of observations from this region within, for example, the International GNSS Service (IGS) network of Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) stations. Then, in 2013 the King Edward Point (KEP) Geodetic Observatory was established with a focus on sea level studies and in support of general geoscience applications. Currently, this observatory located roughly half-way along the main island and along its northern coastline, consists of two GNSS stations (KEPA and KRSA) with local benchmark networks, allowing the height determinations from the GNSS antennas to be transferred to the KEP tide gauge (GLOSS ID 187) and forming a height reference within the International Terrestrial Reference Frame. In late 2014, three additional GNSS stations (SG01, SG02 and SG03) were established, all on small islands at the perimeter of the main island. Together the stations provide the best possible opportunity to study various geophysical processes in the region. With the GNSS-derived position time series partly reaching over 4.5 years in length, it has become possible to provide first estimates of vertical land movements for the island and KEP with its surrounding area. Together with four precise levelling campaigns of the benchmark network in 2013, 2014 and two in 2017, it has also been possible to investigate the very local character of the vertical motions, ie. the stability of the jetty upon which the tide gauge is mounted. Our measurements show that while South Georgia Island and the area around KEP are rising, the jetty and tide gauge are subsiding. In this study, we will present the preliminary results from the GNSS and levelling measurements and will discuss their impact on the sea level record from the KEP tide gauge which is ideally situated in a mid-ocean location for satellite altimetry calibration over the Southern Atlantic and Southern Oceans. [less ▲]

On the Scientific Applications of IGS Products: An Assessment of the Reprocessed TIGA Solutions and Combined Products

Scientific Conference (2017, July 03)

Global sea levels have risen since the early 19th century and this rise is likely to accelerate through the 21st century and beyond. Much of the past information on sea level rise stems from the ... [more ▼]

Global sea levels have risen since the early 19th century and this rise is likely to accelerate through the 21st century and beyond. Much of the past information on sea level rise stems from the instrumental records of tide gauges, which measure changes in sea level relative to a tide gauge benchmark (TGBM) situated on land. In order to assess regional or global sea level changes the vertical land movements (VLM) at the tide gauge and its TGBM need to be monitored. GNSS, in particular GPS, has been recognized as one space-geodetic technique to provide highly accurate estimates of VLM in a geocentric reference frame for tide gauges and their TGBMs. As it turned out, this scientific application of GNSS poses the most stringent requirements on the consistency and homogeneity on the data, processing strategies, satellite products, bias models and reference frames used in the analysis of GNSS measurements. Under the umbrella of the International GNSS Service (IGS), the Tide Gauge Benchmark Monitoring (TIGA) Working Group (WG) has the objective to provide highly-accurate positions and VLM estimates for a global network of tide gauges contributing to the Global Sea Level Observing System (GLOSS) and the Permanent Service for Mean Sea Level (PSMSL). As such TIGA forms an important contribution of the IGS to the goals of the Global Geodetic Observing System (GGOS), the Global Climate Observing System (GCOS) and the World Climate Research Programme (WCRP). To achieve the TIGA-WG objectives, five TIGA Analysis Centers (TACs) contributed re-processed global GPS network solutions to TIGA, employing the latest bias models and processing strategies in accordance with the second IGS re-processing campaign (repro2). These individual TAC solutions were then used to compute the combined products by the TIGA Combination Centre (TCC) at the University of Luxembourg using an in-house modified version of the CATREF software package. In this study, we present and internally evaluate the individual TAC and TIGA combined products. We investigate station positions, scale and origin biases, including their frequency content. We also externally evaluate the combined products, particularly the VLM estimates, using solutions from the ITRF2008, ITRF2014 and the glacial isostatic adjustment model ICE-6G (VM5a). Finally, we draw some conclusions on the recent advances and remaining limitations of the various IGS products required for the challenging application to sea level studies. [less ▲]

Noise characteristics in Zenith Total Delay from homogeneously reprocessed GPS time series

Scientific Conference (2017, February 22)

Zenith Total Delay (ZTD) time series, derived from the re-processing of Global Positioning System (GPS) data, provide valuable information for the evaluation of global atmospheric reanalysis products such ... [more ▼]

Zenith Total Delay (ZTD) time series, derived from the re-processing of Global Positioning System (GPS) data, provide valuable information for the evaluation of global atmospheric reanalysis products such as ERA-Interim. Identifying the correct noise characteristics in the ZTD time series is an important step to assess the ’true’ magnitude of ZTD trend uncertainties. The ZTD residual time series for 1995-2015 are generated from our homogeneously re-processed and homogenized GPS time series from over 700 globally distributed stations classified into five major climate zones. The annual peak of ZTD data ranges between 10 and 150 mm with the smallest values for the polar and Alpine zone. The amplitudes of daily curve fall between 0 and 12 mm with the greatest variations for the dry zone. The autoregressive process of fourth order plus white noise model were found to be optimal for ZTD series. The tropical zone has the largest amplitude of autoregressive noise (9.59 mm) and the greatest amplitudes of white noise (13.00 mm). All climate zones have similar median coefficients of AR(1) (0.80±0.05) with a minimum for polar and Alpine, which has the highest coefficients of AR(2) (0.27±0.01) and AR(3) (0.11±0.01) and clearly different from the other zones considered. We show that 53 of 120 examined trends became insignificant, when the optimum noise model was employed, compared to 11 insignificant trends for pure white noise. The uncertainty of the ZTD trends may be underestimated by a factor of 3 to 12 compared to the white noise only assumption. [less ▲]

Error analysis of Tide Gauge Benchmark Monitoring (TIGA) Analysis Center stacked solutions

Poster (2016, December 12)

In 2013 the International GNSS Service (IGS) Tide Gauge Benchmark Monitoring (TIGA) Working Group (WG) started their reprocessing campaign, which proposes to re-analyze all relevant Global Positioning ... [more ▼]

In 2013 the International GNSS Service (IGS) Tide Gauge Benchmark Monitoring (TIGA) Working Group (WG) started their reprocessing campaign, which proposes to re-analyze all relevant Global Positioning System (GPS) observations from 1995 to the end of 2013. This re-processed dataset will provide high quality estimates of land motions, enabling regional and global high-precision geophysical/geodetic studies. Several of the individual TIGA Analysis Centers (TACs) have completed processing the full history of GPS observations recorded by the IGS global network, as well as, many other GPS stations at or close to tide gauges, which are available from the TIGA data center at the University of La Rochelle (www.sonel.org). The TAC solutions contain a total of over 700 stations. This study focuses on the evaluations of any systematic error present in the three TIGA analysis center (TAC) SINEX solutions: the British Isles continuous GNSS Facility – University of Luxembourg consortium (BLT), the GeoForschungsZentrum (GFZ) Potsdam, and of the University of La Rochelle (ULR). We have analyzed the residual position time series of the individual TAC a combination of automatic and manual discontinuity identification, applying a post-seismic deformation model adopted from ITRF2014 for those stations that are affected by earthquakes, followed by the stacking of the daily solution of the individual TAC into a long term linear frame. We have carried out the error analysis using the Combination and Analysis of Terrestrial Reference Frame (CATREF) software package. The TIGA Combination Centre (TCC) at the University of Luxembourg (UL) is responsible for providing a combined solution with a global set of vertical land movement estimates. [less ▲]

A New Vertical Land Movements Data Set from a Reprocessing of GNSS at Tide Gauge Stations

Scientific Conference (2016, July 30)

The main objective of the International GNSS Service (IGS) Tide Gauge Benchmark Monitoring (TIGA) Working Group is to provide accurate coordinates and changes in them in the form of long-term trends for ... [more ▼]

The main objective of the International GNSS Service (IGS) Tide Gauge Benchmark Monitoring (TIGA) Working Group is to provide accurate coordinates and changes in them in the form of long-term trends for globally distributed Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) stations at or close to tide gauges (TGs). Mean sea level (MSL) records derived from TG observations measure sea level relative to benchmarks on the land and structures supporting the TGs. Therefore, any changes in land levels affect the MSL records and the computed estimates of sea level change, ie. the MSL trends. In order to compute regionally or globally averaged MSL required for climate studies, these MSL trends have to be corrected for the vertical land movements (VLMs) derived from the GNSS observations. In this study, we have estimated a new set of VLMs at or close to TGs from the recent reprocessing campaign “repro2” undertaken by British Isles continuous GNSS Facility and University of Luxembourg TIGA Analysis Center (BLT). The position time series of more than 700 stations distributed around the world have been reprocessed for the period 1994 to 2015 using the latest bias models and processing strategies following the conventions of the International Earth Rotation and Reference Frame Service (IERS). It is well known that position time series are affected by discontinuities, which stem from different sources such as earthquakes, hardware changes and other artificial offsets that do not reflect real geophysical events. Since uncorrected discontinuities adversely affect the trend estimates, we have, after applying all known offset epochs, inspected the time series of all stations manually and added any further offset epochs required during the analysis. We have included a total of 2500+ discontinuities of which two-thirds are from hardware changes, 4% from earthquakes and 9% from unknown sources. We fit a deterministic model (sum of linear trend and seasonal terms) to the position time series using the Hector software package. As expected the annual terms show the highest power with amplitudes of a few millimeters. The stochastic model for estimating trend and associated uncertainties follows a power-law noise process as has previously been described as optimal for GNSS-derived position time series. The new set of VLM estimates from our repro2 solution is evaluated through comparison with a published GNSS solution, the recent ICE-6G model of glacial isostatic adjustment and by application to the latest release of MSL trends from the Permanent Service For Mean Sea Level. [less ▲]

On the Properties of Zenith Total Delay Time Series from Reprocessed GPS Solutions

Poster (2016, July 29)

Global Positioning System observations from stations in regional and global networks have proven to sense the conditions of the atmosphere, especially the water vapour content of the troposphere. Zenith ... [more ▼]

Global Positioning System observations from stations in regional and global networks have proven to sense the conditions of the atmosphere, especially the water vapour content of the troposphere. Zenith Total Delay (ZTD) derived during the processing of GPS data is a measure of the total atmospheric delay along the signal path between satellite and receiver antennas and arises mostly from the hydrostatic and wet parts of the atmosphere. Having taken surface pressure and temperature into account, ZTD can be converted into an estimate of the Integrated Water Vapour (IWV) content of the atmosphere, which when derived from homogenously reprocessed GPS observations, is emerging as an important parameter in the monitoring of climate change. Especially, the long-term trend and variations in IWV together with their associated uncertainties are of high interest as atmospheric water vapour is the dominant greenhouse gas. To date the trend estimates and their uncertainties are widely determined with assumption that the stochastic properties of the time series follow a random, ie. white noise, process. However, if ZTD and IWV are directly linked to climate processes, one would expect that the underlying noise process has similar character to that found in other climate parameters, which have been modelled by means of an autoregressive process. If this proves to be true, the trend estimates and their uncertainties in ZTD and IWV may have been underestimated up to this day of an order of magnitude. In this research, we examine the properties of both deterministic and stochastic parameters of the ZTDs that were estimated by the consortium of the British Isles continuous GNSS Facility (BIGF) and the University of Luxembourg TIGA Analysis Centres (BLT) for GPS data collected by a global tracking network of more than 700 stations (repro2 solution). The analysis has been started with the homogenisation of the ZTD time series, which is an important task to provide homogeneity over the long-term. Here we used all previously reported discontinuities for a single station along with those added after manually inspecting the time series. This procedure did lead to a total number of 2505 discontinuities for this data set. Next, all significant oscillations were identified with spectral analysis and thereafter modelled with a Least-Squares Method. The residuals were subjected to noise analysis with different stochastic models. The results showed that an autoregressive model of fourth order combined with a white noise process is the optimal model for the ZTD time series. Finally, we provide an optimum evaluation of the ZTD trends and their uncertainties for selected climate zones, which were established according to the Köppen-Geiger climate classification. [less ▲]

A First Evaluation of the new GNSS Station Installations at the Tide Gauges of Walvis Bay and Lüderitz in the Republic of Namibia

Poster (2016, February 11)

During September 2015 the Hartebeesthoek Radio Astronomy Observatory in collaboration with the University of Luxembourg installed two state-of-the-art continuous GNSS stations adjacent to the tide gauges ... [more ▼]

During September 2015 the Hartebeesthoek Radio Astronomy Observatory in collaboration with the University of Luxembourg installed two state-of-the-art continuous GNSS stations adjacent to the tide gauges of Walvis Bay and Lüderitz in the Republic of Namibia. These installations are the culmination of a four-year effort to get the stations established and the help of the Namibian Port Authority in this endeavour is much appreciated. The tide gauge at Walvis Bay (Global Sea Level Observing System (GLOSS) number 314) has a record in the Permanent Service for Mean Sea Level (PSMSL) Revised Local Reference (RLR) database (number 914) dating back to 1958 (data completeness 54%). The tide gauge at Lüderitz is not a GLOSS station but also has a PSMSL RLR record (number 911) since 1958 (data completeness 67%). Both tide gauges currently use a radar measurement unit and are operated by the Hydrographic Office of the South African Navy. They are the only sea level observations along a more than 3000 km stretch of the West African coast from Pointe Noire in the Republic of the Congo to Port Nolloth in the Republic South Africa, hence they form an important data source for sea level studies. The two continuous GNSS stations record observations from all visible GNSS satellites (GPS, GLONASS, BDS and Galileo) with a 1 second recording interval. The current installations support hourly data downloads, which are sufficient for most activities within the IGS, while the data have great potential to contribute not only to the TIGA working group but also to MGEX. In this study we present the first evaluation of the quality of the GNSS observations from the two new continuous GNSS stations for the first three months of operation. In the future we plan to make the data available to the scientific community. [less ▲]