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Assessment of ECMWF-derived tropospheric delay models within the EUREF Permanent Network

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Abstract

The Global Positioning System (GPS) observations from the EUREF Permanent Network (EPN) are routinely analyzed by the EPN analysis centers using a tropospheric delay modeling based on standard pressure values, the Niell Mapping Functions (NMF), a cutoff angle of 3° and down-weighting of low elevation observations. We investigate the impact on EPN station heights and Zenith Total Delay (ZTD) estimates when changing to improved models recommended in the updated 2003 International Earth Rotation and Reference Systems Service (IERS) Conventions, which are the Vienna Mapping Functions 1 (VMF1) and zenith hydrostatic delays derived from numerical weather models, or the empirical Global Mapping Functions (GMF) and the empirical Global Pressure and Temperature (GPT) model. A 1-year Global Positioning System (GPS) data set of 50 regionally distributed EPN/IGS (International GNSS Service) stations is processed. The GPS analysis with cutoff elevation angles of 3, 5, and 10° revealed that changing to the new recommended models introduces biases in station heights in the northern part of Europe by 2–3 mm if the cutoff is lower than 5°. However, since large weather changes at synoptic time scales are not accounted for in the empirical models, repeatability of height and ZTD time series are improved with the use of a priori Zenith Hydrostatic Delays (ZHDs) derived from numerical weather models and VMF1. With a cutoff angle of 3°, the repeatability of station heights in the northern part of Europe is improved by 3–4 mm.

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Abbreviations

DORIS:

Doppler Orbit determination and Radiopositioning Integrated on Satellite

EPN:

EUREF Permanent Network

GMF:

Global Mapping Functions

GNSS:

Global Navigation Satellite System

GPS:

Global Positioning System

GPT:

Global Pressure and Temperature

IERS:

International Earth rotation and Reference systems Service

IGS:

International GNSS Service

ITRF:

International Terrestrial Reference Frame

NMF:

Niell Mapping Functions

SPT:

Standard Pressure and Temperature

STD:

Slant Total Delay

VLBI:

Very Long Base Interferometry

VMF1:

Vienna Mapping Functions 1

VZHD:

Vienna Zenith Hydrostatic Delay

ZHD:

Zenith Hydrostatic Delay

ZTD:

Zenith Total Delay

ZWD:

Zenith Wet Delay

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Acknowledgments

We thank the IGS and the EUREF Permanent Network for providing GPS data. We also thank the staff of the Vienna University of Technology for providing data and R.W. King for his advice on the Gamit/GlobK v.10.34 software. We acknowledge the editors, two anonymous reviewers, and J. Nicolas for their constructive comments. F. Fund was financially supported by the “Ordre des Géomètres Expert” and the “Région des Pays de la Loire”.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Laboratoire de Géomatique et de Géodésie (L2G), ESGT/CNAM, 1 boulevard Pythagore, 72000, Le Mans, France

    F. Fund & L. Morel

  2. Université de Nantes, Nantes Atlantique Université, CNRS, Laboratoire de Planétologie et Géodynamique, UMR 6112, UFR des Sciences et des Techniques, 2 rue de la Houssinière, BP 92208, Nantes Cedex 3, 44322, France

    F. Fund & A. Mocquet

  3. Vienna University of Technology, Vienna, Austria

    J. Boehm

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  1. F. Fund
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  2. L. Morel
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  3. A. Mocquet
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  4. J. Boehm
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Correspondence to F. Fund.

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Fund, F., Morel, L., Mocquet, A. et al. Assessment of ECMWF-derived tropospheric delay models within the EUREF Permanent Network. GPS Solut 15, 39–48 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10291-010-0166-8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10291-010-0166-8

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