Comparison of terrestrial reference frame velocities determined from SLR and VLBI

• Published in: Geophysical research letters Vol. 21; no. 3; pp. 169 - 172
• Main Authors: Watkins, M. M., Eanes, R. J., Ma, C.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Legacy CDMS American Geophysical Union 01.02.1994; Blackwell Publishing Ltd
• Subjects: Adjustment; Crustal movements; Earth sciences; Earth, ocean, space; Exact sciences and technology; Geodesy and Gravity; Geophysics; Horizontal; Instruments and techniques; Internal geophysics; Solid-earth geophysics, tectonophysics, gravimetry; Space flight; Space research; Transformations; United States; Southern U.S; North America; Texas; plate movement; very long base interferometry; laser methods; distance measurement; transformations; accuracy; satellite methods; velocity; horizontal component
• ISSN: 0094-8276; 1944-8007
• DOI: 10.1029/93GL03542

The most recent site velocity solutions from the Very Long Baseline Interferometry (VLBI) analysis group at the Goddard Space Flight Center and the Satellite Laser Ranging (SLR) analysis group at the University of Texas Center for Space Research are compared. The results indicate that the horizontal velocities agree, after removing a velocity transformation of a few millimeters per year, to the 2-3 millimeter per year level in an rms sense. The velocities of the best observed sites agree to nearly 1 mm/yr in each horizontal component. In addition, when only sites with adjusted velocities are compared, the agreement of epoch site positions is improved over previous studies to the subcentimeter level in the horizontal components. The sites in the western United States agree at the few millimeter level.