IGS Combined and Contributed Earth Rotation Parameter Solutions

Since January 1995 the International GPS Service (IGS) has been combining and analyzing daily polar motion (PM) series, produced and submitted by seven IGS analysis centers (ACs) for the IGS Final orbit/clock combinations. Since June 30, 1996 the IGS Earth Rotation Parameter (ERP) series that accompany the IGS combined orbits, also include combined PM rates. Furthermore, since March 1997, the IGS LOD (Length of Day) solutions are based on separate combinations of AC LOD solutions calibrated and weighted according to the IERS Bulletin A definite values. Similar to AC orbit solutions, the PM solutions have improved considerably since 1995, so that currently the IGS combined and the best AC PM solutions are at or below the 0.1 mas precision level, although PM biases may exceed .1 mas. Comparisons of AC ERP and PM rate solutions with the IGS Final combined ERP series revealed signals with 7 and 14-day periods for some AC solutions.During 1998, the IGS Final and the best AC PM rate solutions compared with Atmospheric Angular Momentum (AAM) at 0.3 mas/day (rms) with an average correlation of about 0.8 and 0.6 for the PM x and PM y rate components. The correlation varied considerably with time and frequency, though significant correlation already started from 6-day periods and reaching maxima within 10 to 50 day period bands. Most of the remaining signal in the PM rate solutions could likely be accounted for by Ocean Angular Momentum (OAM) as seen from the comparisons of combined OAM and AAM with the IGS PM series during 1995 and early 1996 when also OAM data were made available. During this period the IGS PM rates agreed with the combined OAM + AAM series with 0.3 and 0.2 mas/day (rms) for the PM x and y components and with an average correlation of about 0.8 for both PM components.