Subseasonal GNSS positioning errors

Abstract

[1] Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) station coordinate errors over seasonal and longer time scales are known to be spatially and temporally correlated with flicker noise spectra. Overlaying this are strong annual and semiannual variations that cannot be explained by any single phenomenon. Next most prominent are harmonics of the GPS draconitic year with periods of (351.4/N) days. One explanation is that errors in the standard model for Earth orientation parameter (EOP) tidal variations near 12 and 24 h periods are absorbed into the resonant GPS orbit and daily EOP estimates, resulting mainly in draconitic and fortnightly alias signatures for 24 h product sampling. With the change in International GNSS Service (IGS) station coordinates from weekly to daily resolution in August 2012, it is now possible to study subseasonal performance. All IGS Analysis Centers (ACs) show fortnightly signals, but the resolution will not be sufficient to distinguish direct from aliased subdaily tidal error sources till two more years of data are available. Nevertheless, aliased errors from the subdaily EOP tide model are expected. All but one of the ACs that includes GLONASS data have signals at ~8 day periods, the ground repeat period for GLONASS orbits. This most likely arises from larger geographically correlated orbit errors for GLONASS. Two ACs possess unique short-period features that appear to be caused by peculiarities of their analysis strategies.