Seasonal Position Variations and Regional Reference Frame Realization

We have established a stable regional geodetic reference frame using long-history (13.5 years on average) observations from 55 continuously operated Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) stations adjacent to the Gulf of Mexico (GOM). The regional reference frame, designated as GOM20, is aligned in origin and scale with the International GNSS Reference Frame 2014 (IGS14). The primary product from this study is the seven-parameters for transforming the Earth-Centered-Earth-Fixed (ECEF) Cartesian coordinates from IGS14 to GOM20. The frame stability of GOM20 is approximately 0.3 mm/year in the horizontal directions and 0.5 mm/year in the vertical direction. The regional reference frame can be confidently used for the time window from the 1990s to 2030 without causing positional errors larger than the accuracy of 24-h static GNSS measurements. Applications of GOM20 in delineating rapid urban subsidence, coastal subsidence and faulting, and sea-level rise are demonstrated in this article. According to this study, subsidence faster than 2 cm/year is ongoing in several major cities in central Mexico, with the most rapid subsidence reaching to 27 cm/year in Mexico City; a large portion of the Texas and Louisiana coasts are subsiding at 3 to 6.5 mm/year; the average sea-level-rise rate (with respect to GOM20) along the Gulf coast is 2.6 mm/year with a 95% confidence interval of ±1 mm/year during the past five decades. GOM20 provides a consistent platform to integrate ground deformational observations from different remote sensing techniques (e.g., GPS, InSAR, LiDAR, UAV-Photogrammetry) and ground surveys (e.g., tide gauge, leveling surveying) into a unified geodetic reference frame and enables multidisciplinary and cross-disciplinary research.

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Evaluating seasonal loading models and their impact on global and regional reference frame alignment

Journal of Geophysical Research Solid Earth ◽

10.1002/2013jb010186 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 119 (2) ◽

pp. 1337-1358 ◽

Cited By ~ 27

Author(s):

Rong Zou ◽

Jeffrey T. Freymueller ◽

Kaihua Ding ◽

Shaomin Yang ◽

Qi Wang

Keyword(s):

Reference Frame ◽

Frame Alignment ◽

Regional Reference

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GPS geodetic infrastructure for subsidence and fault monitoring in Houston, Texas, USA

Proceedings of the International Association of Hydrological Sciences ◽

10.5194/piahs-382-11-2020 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 382 ◽

pp. 11-18 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Gonzalo Agudelo ◽

Guoquan Wang ◽

Yuhao Liu ◽

Yan Bao ◽

Michael J. Turco

Keyword(s):

Reference Frame ◽

Urban Areas ◽

Ground Deformation ◽

University Of Houston ◽

Fault Monitoring ◽

Global Positioning ◽

The Stability ◽

Continuous Gps ◽

The University ◽

Regional Reference

Abstract. Houston, Texas, is one of the earliest urban areas to employ Global Positioning System (GPS) technology for land subsidence and fault monitoring. As of 2020, the University of Houston and the Harris-Galveston Subsidence District have integrated over 230 permanent GPS stations into their routine GPS data processing for regional subsidence and fault monitoring. This article summarizes the GPS geodetic infrastructure in the Greater Houston region. The infrastructure is comprised of two components: a dense GPS network (HoustonNet) and a stable regional reference frame (Houston20). Houston20 is realized by 25 long-history (>8 years) continuous GPS stations located outside the subsiding area and is aligned in origin and scale with the International GNSS Reference Frame 2014 (IGS14). The stability of the regional reference frame is below 1 mm yr−1 in all three directions. GPS-derived ground deformation rates (2010–2019) within the Greater Houston region are also presented in this article.

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CARIB18: A Stable Geodetic Reference Frame for Geological Hazard Monitoring in the Caribbean Region

Remote Sensing ◽

10.3390/rs11060680 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 11 (6) ◽

pp. 680 ◽

Cited By ~ 8

Author(s):

Guoquan Wang ◽

Hanlin Liu ◽

Glen Mattioli ◽

Meghan Miller ◽

Karl Feaux ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Reference Frame ◽

Vertical Direction ◽

Differential Method ◽

Plate Motion ◽

Caribbean Region ◽

Geological Hazard ◽

International Gnss Service ◽

The Caribbean ◽

Regional Reference

We have developed a Stable Caribbean Reference Frame 2018 (CARIB18) using long-term continuous observations from 18 continuously operating Global Positioning System (GPS) stations fixed on the margins of the stable portion of the Caribbean plate. The frame stability of CARIB18 is approximately 0.7 mm/year in the horizontal direction and 0.9 mm/year in the vertical direction. A method that employs a total of seven parameters for transforming positional time series from a global reference frame (IGS14) to a regional reference frame is introduced. The major products from this study include the seven parameters for realizing CARIB18 coordinates and three-component site velocities of 250 continuous GPS stations (>3 years) with respect to CARIB18. Geological hazard monitoring using GPS has traditionally been performed using the carrier-phase differential method that requires single or multiple reference stations to be simultaneously operated in the field. CARIB18 allows for precise geological hazard monitoring using stand-alone GPS, which substantially reduces field costs and simplifies logistics for long-term geological hazard monitoring. Applications of CARIB18 in plate motion, post-seismic, and volcano monitoring and research are demonstrated in this article. The regional reference frame will be periodically updated every few years with more reference stations and longer periods of observations to mitigate the degradation of the frame over time and will be synchronized with the updates of the International GNSS Service (IGS) IGS reference frame.

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Expression of the Local GPS Solution in the Regional Reference Frame ETRF2000

International Association of Geodesy Symposia - IAG 150 Years ◽

10.1007/1345_2015_34 ◽

2015 ◽

pp. 111-116

Author(s):

Violeta Vasilić ◽

Dragan Blagojević

Keyword(s):

Reference Frame ◽

Regional Reference

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Impact of regional reference frame definition on geodynamic interpretations

Journal of Geodynamics ◽

10.1016/j.jog.2009.10.002 ◽

2010 ◽

Vol 49 (3-4) ◽

pp. 116-122 ◽

Cited By ~ 16

Author(s):

J. Legrand ◽

N. Bergeot ◽

C. Bruyninx ◽

G. Wöppelmann ◽

M.-N. Bouin ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Reference Frame ◽

Regional Reference

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Practical Realization of a Reference System for Earth Dynamics by Satellite Methods

International Astronomical Union Colloquium ◽

10.1017/s0252921100051150 ◽

1975 ◽

Vol 26 ◽

pp. 341-380 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

R. J. Anderle ◽

M. C. Tanenbaum

Keyword(s):

Reference Frame ◽

Polar Motion ◽

Pole Position ◽

Control Points ◽

Significant Information ◽

Crustal Motion ◽

Average Reference ◽

Future Data ◽

Existing Data

AbstractObservations of artificial earth satellites provide a means of establishing an.origin, orientation, scale and control points for a coordinate system. Neither existing data nor future data are likely to provide significant information on the .001 angle between the axis of angular momentum and axis of rotation. Existing data have provided data to about .01 accuracy on the pole position and to possibly a meter on the origin of the system and for control points. The longitude origin is essentially arbitrary. While these accuracies permit acquisition of useful data on tides and polar motion through dynamio analyses, they are inadequate for determination of crustal motion or significant improvement in polar motion. The limitations arise from gravity, drag and radiation forces on the satellites as well as from instrument errors. Improvements in laser equipment and the launch of the dense LAGEOS satellite in an orbit high enough to suppress significant gravity and drag errors will permit determination of crustal motion and more accurate, higher frequency, polar motion. However, the reference frame for the results is likely to be an average reference frame defined by the observing stations, resulting in significant corrections to be determined for effects of changes in station configuration and data losses.

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