Abstract
AbstractVertical crustal displacements induced by atmospheric, hydrological, cryospheric, and oceanic load changes are detectable with sub-cm accuracy by precise continuous GPS measurements. Areas subjected to rapid load changes due to ice sheet melt, drought, massive groundwater extraction, or lake level drop, are characterized by a dominant non-linear vertical signal. Here, we investigate possible relations between vertical crustal movements and climate change by analyzing the relations between observed GPS vertical movements, predicted movements, and climatic indices, where we have long GPS time series (>20 years). Applying our analysis to GPS records from western and eastern North America indicates different load change characteristics. In the western US, the seasonal and climatic signals are dominated by hydrological load changes and, consequently, the GPS signal correlates well with the Palmer Severe Drought Index (PSDI) calculated for the same region. However, vertical crustal movements in eastern North America, as detected by long GPS time series, reveal poor correlation with PSDI and other climatic indices. Our results suggest that long continuous GPS observations of vertical crustal displacements primarily driven by climate related changes in water storage can serve as independent measures of regional-scale climate change in some cases, mainly in western north America.
Highlights
Displacement of the Earth’s crust, mostly in the vertical direction, occurs in response to load changes induced by the atmosphere, hydrosphere, and cryosphere; these components of the Earth system are affected by climate change
Our results indicate that vertical GPS movements correlate with the predicated hydrological load and Palmer Drought Severity Index (PDSI) mainly in the western North America
In locations where vertical GPS movements do not correlate well with PDSI, mainly in eastern North America, we explore possible correlations with other climate indices, such as the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO)
Summary
Displacement of the Earth’s crust, mostly in the vertical direction, occurs in response to load changes induced by the atmosphere, hydrosphere, and cryosphere; these components of the Earth system are affected by climate change. GPS observations in Greenland and the northern Atlantic regions revealed non-linear rates of crustal uplift, reflecting the accelerating rate of ice mass loss in the region in response to the changing climate (Jiang et al 2010; Bevis et al 2012). GPS observations in the western US, mainly in California, detected transient crustal movements, reflecting crustal response to changes in the hydrological load due to changing lake levels, groundwater depletion, and the California drought (Amos et al 2014; Brosa et al 2014; Wahr et al 2013; Hammond et al 2016). The above two examples demonstrate that observations of the GPS vertical component can be used as a proxy for
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