Validation of tropospheric ties at the test setup GNSS co-location site in Potsdam

Author(s):  
Chaiyaporn Kitpracha ◽  
Robert Heinkelmann ◽  
Markus Ramatschi ◽  
Kyriakos Balidakis ◽  
Benjamin Männel ◽  
...  

<p>Atmospheric ties are induced by differences between the set-up of observing geodetic systems at co-location sites, are mainly attributed to frequency and position, and are usually quantified by zenith delay and gradient component offsets derived by weather models or in situ instuments.. Similar to local ties, they could be applied to combine datasets from several space geodetic techniques, thus contributing to the improvement of the realization of terrestrial reference frames (TRF). Theoretically, atmospheric ties are affected only by the height differences between antennas at the same site and meteorological conditions. Therefore, atmospheric ties could be determined analytically based on meteorological information from in situ measurements or weather models. However, there is often a discrepancy between the expected zenith delay differences and those estimated from geodetic analysis, potentially degrading a combined atmospheric ties solution should tight constraints be used. In this study, we set up a GNSS experiment campaign on the rooftop of a building in Telegrafernberg that offers unobscured data coverage for one month. We compared the estimated zenith delay and gradients from GNSS stations in this experiment, applying atmospheric ties from (1) meteorological data from the Global Pressure and Temperature model 3 (GPT3), (2) ERA5 reanalysis, and (3) in-situ measurements, as well as corrections derived from ray tracing (Potsdam Mapping Functions, PMF). The results show that atmospheric ties employing GPT3, ERA5, in-situ measurements, and ray tracing has an excellent and comparable performance in term of bias mitigation, but not in term of standard deviation, for zenith delay. Moreover, the unexpected bias in zenith delay was identified in the antenna with radome installation. A significantly large bias was identified in estimated gradients; the source of this discrepancy has been traced back to unmitigated multipath effects in this experiment.</p>

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chaiyaporn Kitpracha ◽  
Kyriakos Balidakis ◽  
Robert Heinkelmann ◽  
Harald Schuh

<p>Atmospheric ties are affected by the differences of atmospheric parameters of space geodetic techniques at co-location sites. Similar to local ties, they could be applied along with local ties for a combination of space geodetic techniques to improve the realization of terrestrial reference frames (TRF). Theoretically, atmospheric ties are affected by the height differences between antennas at the same site and meteorological conditions. Therefore, atmospheric ties could be determined by analytical equation based on meteorological information from in situ measurements or weather model. However, there is often a discrepancy between the expected zenith delay differences and those estimated from geodetic analysis, thus potentially degrading a combined atmospheric ties solution. In this study, we analyse the time series of zenith delays from co-located GNSS antennas at Wettzell (height differences below 3 meters), for 11 years (2008–2018). GNSS observations were analyzed with Bernese GNSS software version 5.2 with double-differencing technique and relative tropospheric delay and gradients were estimated with L1, L2, and the ionosphere-free (L3) linear combination thereof. Atmospheric ties were derived analytically employing meteorological data from Global Pressure and Temperature model 3 (GPT3) and ERA5 reanalysis, as well as corrections derived from ray tracing (Potsdam Mapping Functions, PMF). The comparison shows that zenith delay differences are dominated by equipment changes. The discrepancies between atmospheric ties and estimated zenith delay differences are frequency dependent, with the L1 solutions being the least biased. For these small vertical differences, seasonal signals are not significant for all frequencies.</p>


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chaiyaporn Kitpracha ◽  
Robert Heinkelmann ◽  
Markus Ramatschi ◽  
Kyriakos Balidakis ◽  
Benjamin Männel ◽  
...  

Abstract. Atmospheric ties are theoretically affected by the height differences between antennas at the same site and the meteorological conditions. However, there is often a discrepancy between the expected zenith delay differences and those estimated from geodetic analysis, potentially degrading a combined solution employing atmospheric ties. In order to investigate the possible effects on GNSS atmospheric delay, this study set up an experiment of four co-located GNSS stations of the same type, both antenna and receiver. Specific height differences for each antenna w.r.t the reference antenna are given. One antenna was equipped with a radome at the same height and type as a antenna close to the ground. In addition, a meteorological sensor was used for meteorological data recording. The results show that tropospheric ties from the analytical equation based on meteorological data from GPT3, Numerical Weather Model, and in-situ measurements, and ray-traced tropospheric ties, reduced the bias of zenith delay roughly by 72 %. However, the in-situ tropospheric ties yield the best precision in this study. These results demonstrate, that the instrument effects on GNSS zenith delays were mitigated by using the same instrument. In contrast, the radome causes unexpected bias of GNSS zenith delays in this study. Additionally, multipath effects at low-elevation observations degraded the tropospheric east gradients.


2003 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
pp. 59 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. NOUREDDINE ◽  
A. HAMMADI ◽  
R. BOUDJENOUN ◽  
M. MENACER ◽  
A. ALLALOU ◽  
...  

The present study has been carried out in the framework of our environmental monitoring programme and immediately after being informed by the IAEA of possible accidental releases of 137 Cs into the air, which might have been released between May 25 th and the first of June 1998 from the Acerinox factory in Algeciras (Spain). Algericas is the region where a steel-processing factory has been set up. During the work procedure, a radioactive source of 137 Cs passed through the furnace resulting in accidental releases into the atmosphere. This radioactive contamination was detected in France, Switzerland, Italy and Germany, and some radioactivity measurements were carried out by the Commissariat A l'Energie Atomique to evaluate the gamma radiation status in areas selected in Algeria. The approach adopted in our case was to start in situ gamma-radiation measurements and to collect air and soil samples as well from a selected area in Algiers. Afterwards, and in order to have more reliable results, a sampling program was carried out in July 1998, in the frame of which some sampling stations were established in the west of Algeria, based upon Algerian meteorological data during the period of incident. A total number of 16 environmental samples from 9 stations, namely, soil, sediment, vegetation and seawater were collected, followed by in situ gamma radiation measurements in each sampling location. Soil, sediment and vegetation samples were analysed by direct gamma spectrometry, whereas, sea water samples were analysed radiochemically using microcrystalline AMP for coprecipitation and gamma counted. Taking into consideration the background levels of radioactivity in the studied areas, obtained by our previous monitoring programs, the results obtained do not show any increase of 137 Cs resulting from the incinerated Caesium source in the Acerinox steel factory in Algeciras, Spain. The conclusion drawn by this work is that the investigated area was not affected by the release of 137 Cs.


2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael Stukel ◽  
Thomas Kelly

Thorium-234 (234Th) is a powerful tracer of particle dynamics and the biological pump in the surface ocean; however, variability in carbon:thorium ratios of sinking particles adds substantial uncertainty to estimates of organic carbon export. We coupled a mechanistic thorium sorption and desorption model to a one-dimensional particle sinking model that uses realistic particle settling velocity spectra. The model generates estimates of 238U-234Th disequilibrium, particulate organic carbon concentration, and the C:234Th ratio of sinking particles, which are then compared to in situ measurements from quasi-Lagrangian studies conducted on six cruises in the California Current Ecosystem. Broad patterns observed in in situ measurements, including decreasing C:234Th ratios with depth and a strong correlation between sinking C:234Th and the ratio of vertically-integrated particulate organic carbon (POC) to vertically-integrated total water column 234Th, were accurately recovered by models assuming either a power law distribution of sinking speeds or a double log normal distribution of sinking speeds. Simulations suggested that the observed decrease in C:234Th with depth may be driven by preferential remineralization of carbon by particle-attached microbes. However, an alternate model structure featuring complete consumption and/or disaggregation of particles by mesozooplankton (e.g. no preferential remineralization of carbon) was also able to simulate decreasing C:234Th with depth (although the decrease was weaker), driven by 234Th adsorption onto slowly sinking particles. Model results also suggest that during bloom decays C:234Th ratios of sinking particles should be higher than expected (based on contemporaneous water column POC), because high settling velocities minimize carbon remineralization during sinking.


2013 ◽  
Vol 24 (3) ◽  
pp. 147
Author(s):  
Ming LI ◽  
Qinghua YANG ◽  
Jiechen ZHAO ◽  
Lin ZHANG ◽  
Chunhua LI ◽  
...  

1995 ◽  
Vol 31 (7) ◽  
pp. 51-59 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ian Guymer ◽  
Rob O'Brien

Previously, the design of sewer systems has been limited to studies of their hydraulic characteristics, in particular the ability of the system to convey the maximum discharge. Greater environmental awareness has necessitated that new designs, and some existing schemes, are assessed to determine the environmental load which the scheme will deliver to any downstream component. This paper describes a laboratory programme which has been designed to elucidate the effects of manholes on the longitudinal dispersion of solutes. A laboratory system is described, which allows in situ measurements to be taken of the concentration of a fluorescent solute tracer, both up- and down-stream of a surcharged manhole junction. Results are presented from a preliminary series of studies undertaken for a single manhole geometry over a range of discharges, with varying levels of surcharge. Results are presented showing the variation of travel time, change in second moment of the distribution and of a dispersion factor with surcharge, assuming a Taylor approach and determining the dispersion factor using a ‘change in moment’ method. The effect of the stored volume within the manhole is clearly evident. The limitations and the applicability of this approach are discussed.


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