Vertical Land Movements and Sea Level Changes on South Georgia, South Atlantic Ocean: Results from 7 Years of Geodetic and Oceanographic Observations on a Remote Island

Scientific Conference (2020, December 16)

South Georgia Island in the South Atlantic Ocean, is a small remote land mass that supports various ground-based instrumental observations (Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS), tide gauge ... [more ▼]

South Georgia Island in the South Atlantic Ocean, is a small remote land mass that supports various ground-based instrumental observations (Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS), tide gauge, meteorological and seismic) in an otherwise largely under sampled oceanic region. Moreover, the South Atlantic Ocean plays an important role in global ocean circulation, con-necting the deep thermohaline circulation of the North Atlantic and Indian Oceans, whilst also linking to the Antarctic Circumpolar Current in the South, where the lack of continental barriers allows a free exchange of water between the major ocean basins. Hence, South Georgia po-tentially lies within a region susceptible to climatic changes before these can be felt further afield. In 2013 and 2014 a total of five GNSS stations were installed covering the area of the main island (approximately 170 x 50 km) with two of those being located close to the King Edward Point (KEP) Research Station and the GLOSS tide gauge (ID 187). Furthermore, precise levelling campaigns in 2013, 2014, 2017 and 2020 supported the analysis of local ground instabilities near the tide gauge. Through these activities the tide gauge datum within the Permanent Ser-vice for Mean Sea Level (PSMSL) has been established, which in turn, makes the derived KEP mean sea level (MSL) record highly valuable for long-term studies and satellite altimetry cali-brations. In this study, we will present the vertical land movement estimates from seven years of GNSS observations, five precise levelling campaigns, and will discuss their impact on the sea level record from the KEP tide gauge and nearby satellite altimetry sea surface heights. Our results confirm uplift all over South Georgia Island while the area at KEP and particularly the jetty with tide gauge are subsiding relative to the rest of the island. Using this information we correct the MSL record for the vertical land movements and investigate its signals together with those from nearby satellite altimetry tracks. [less ▲]

Recent Activities on Tristan da Cunha Island: Geodetic Installations, Local Tie Measurements and their Analysis

Scientific Conference (2019, July 11)

During 2017 a team from the University of Luxembourg and the National Oceanography Centre, Liverpool, established a permanent Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) station and two new tide gauges on ... [more ▼]

During 2017 a team from the University of Luxembourg and the National Oceanography Centre, Liverpool, established a permanent Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) station and two new tide gauges on Tristan da Cunha Island in the South Atlantic Ocean. These installations were funded through various projects at both collaborating institutions under the umbrella of the International GNSS Service (IGS) Tide Gauge Benchmark Monitoring (TIGA) Working Group and the Global Geodetic Observing System (GGOS) focus area on Sea Level Change, Variability and Forecasting. While this was the first scientific installation of a GNSS station on the main island within the Tristan da Cunha archipelago, IGS station GOUG, located on Gough Island which lies 412 km to the south, has been in operation since 1998. Unfortunately GOUG was decommissioned in 2018. Sea level observations on Tristan da Cunha have a longer history than GNSS with various tide gauges having been in operation since 1984. Tristan da Cunha also hosts a Doppler Orbitography and Radiopositioning Integrated by Satellite (DORIS) station which was established in 2012 after a previous installation was upgraded and moved to the current site. The antenna TCTA is located on the concrete monument of the previous DORIS antenna. Furthermore, in order for future International Terrestrial Reference Frame (ITRF) computations to fully benefit from the proximity of the sensors, the geodetic ties between the respective antennas (and reference markers in case of the tide gauges) need to be determined at the millimeter level using various terrestrial surveying methods and a local benchmark network. This contribution provides details of the activities on Tristan da Cunha including the installations, the established benchmark network, the terrestrial surveys of the geodetic ties and the analysis of these measurements in order to geometrically link the GNSS and DORIS antennas to each other as well as to the tide gauges. [less ▲]

Installation and First Evaluation of the King Edward Point Geodetic Observatory, South Georgia

Poster (2013, May)

During February 2013 the King Edward Point (KEP) Geodetic Observatory was established in South Georgia through a University of Luxembourg funded research project in collaboration with the National ... [more ▼]

During February 2013 the King Edward Point (KEP) Geodetic Observatory was established in South Georgia through a University of Luxembourg funded research project in collaboration with the National Oceanography Centre and the British Antarctic Survey. Due to its remote location in the South Atlantic Ocean as well as being one of few subaerial exposures of the Scotia plate, South Georgia has been a key location for a number of global monitoring networks, e.g. seismic, magnetic and oceanic. However, no geodetic monitoring station had been established previously despite the global network of Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) stations is lacking observations from this region. In this presentation we will present a first evaluation of the observations from the KEP Geodetic Observatory for the period from 14 February to 14 April 2013. We calculate multipath characteristics and positioning statistics from precise point positioning (PPP) and discuss the installation in terms of benefits for studies of tectonics and glacio-isostatic adjustment processes. The meteorological data is evaluated by comparison to the data from the existing KEP meteorological station and a widely used numerical weather model. [less ▲]

New Estimates of Present-Day Crustal/Land Motions in the British Isles Based on the BIGF Network

in International Association of Geodesy Symposia (2012), 136

n this study we present results from a recent reprocessing effort that included data from more than 120 continuous Global Positioning System (CGPS) stations in the British Isles for the period from 1997 ... [more ▼]

n this study we present results from a recent reprocessing effort that included data from more than 120 continuous Global Positioning System (CGPS) stations in the British Isles for the period from 1997 to 2008. Not only was the CGPS network dramatically densified from previous investigations by the authors, it now also includes, for the first time, stations in Northern Ireland, providing new constraints on glacio-isostatic processes active in the region. In our processing strategy we apply a combination of re-analysed satellite orbit and Earth rotation products together with updated models for absolute satellite and receiver antenna phase centers, and for the computation of atmospheric delays. Our reference frame implementation uses a semi-global network of 37 stations, to align our daily position estimates, using a minimal constraints approach, to ITRF2005. This network uses a combination of current IGS reference frame stations plus additional IGS stations in order to provide similar network geometries throughout the complete time span. The derived horizontal and vertical station velocities are used to investigate present-day crustal/land motions in the British Isles. This first solution provides the basis for our contri- bution to the Working Group on Regional Dense Velocity Fields, 2007 - 2011 of the International Asso- ciation of Geodesy Subcommission 1.3 on Regional Reference Frames. [less ▲]