GPS Earth Observation Network Research Articles

An Ionospheric Total Electron Content Model with a Storm Option over Japan Based on a Multi-Layer Perceptron Neural Network

Ionospheric delay has a severe effect on reducing the accuracy of positioning and navigation of single-frequency receivers. Therefore, it is necessary to construct a precise regional ionospheric model for real-time Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) applications. The total electron contents (TECs) of 839 GNSS stations affiliated with the GPS Earth Observation Network were used to build a Japanese ionospheric model (JIM) based on a multi-layer perceptron neural network. During quiet space conditions, the correlation coefficient between the targets and the predictions of the JIM was about 0.98, and the root-mean square error (RMSE) of TEC residuals was ~1.5TECU, while under severe space events, the correlation coefficient increased to 0.99, and the corresponding RMSE dropped to 0.96 TECU. Moreover, the JIM model successfully reconstructed the two-dimensional (time vs latitude) TEC maps, and the TEC maps had evident hourly and seasonal variations. Most of TEC residuals accumulated between universal time 01–06 with an averaged magnitude of 1-2TECU. Furthermore, the JIM model had a perfect prediction performance under various kinds of complex space environments. In the quiet days, the prediction accuracy of the JIM was nearly equal to the global ionosphere map (GIM), and in some moments, the JIM was more competitive than the GIM. In the disturbed days, the RMSEs of TEC residuals were proportional to the solar wind speed and were inversely proportional to the geomagnetic Dst value. The maximum RMSE of the JIM was lower than 2TECU, while the corresponding RMSEs for the IRI and TIE-GCM exceeded 5TECU.

Robust uncertainty quantification of the volume of tsunami ionospheric holes for the 2011 Tohoku-Oki earthquake: towards low-cost satellite-based tsunami warning systems

Abstract. We develop a new method to analyze the total electron content (TEC) depression in the ionosphere after a tsunami occurrence. We employ Gaussian process regression to accurately estimate the TEC disturbance every 30 s using satellite observations from the global navigation satellite system (GNSS) network, even over regions without measurements. We face multiple challenges. First, the impact of the acoustic wave generated by a tsunami onto TEC levels is nonlinear and anisotropic. Second, observation points are moving. Third, the measured data are not uniformly distributed in the targeting range. Nevertheless, our method always computes the electron density depression volumes, along with estimated uncertainties, when applied to the 2011 Tohoku-Oki earthquake, even with random selections of only 5 % of the 1000 GPS Earth Observation Network System receivers considered here over Japan. Also, the statistically estimated TEC depression area mostly overlaps the range of the initial tsunami, which indicates that our method can potentially be used to estimate the initial tsunami. The method can warn of a tsunami event within 15 min of the earthquake, at high levels of confidence, even with a sparse receiver network. Hence, it is potentially applicable worldwide using the existing GNSS network.

GiRsnow: an open-source software for snow depth retrievals using GNSS interferometric reflectometry

Snow is an important water resource that plays a critical role in the global climate and hydrological cycle. Thus, Global Navigation Satellite System Interferometric Reflectometry (GNSS-IR) has emerged as a new remote sensing technology for monitoring snow depth. We developed the snow parameter processing software GiRsnow, based on GNSS-IR tools and a MATLAB environment, to obtain robust and effective retrievals. That tool allows users to check the data quality, draw reflection point trajectory and Fresnel zone, retrieve snow depth using signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) observations or geometry-free linear carrier phase combination (termed L4) observations, and display the results based on the time and space domain. We conducted two experiments at the Plate Boundary Observation site RN86 and GPS Earth Observation Network (GEONET) site 020877 to validate the performance of the software. Our results demonstrate that GiRsnow can process multi-constellation and multi-frequency GNSS data and obtain robust and effective results through quality control and a grid model to account for topography effects.

Midlatitude Ionospheric Irregularity Spectral Density as Determined by Ground‐Based GPS Receiver Networks

AbstractWe present a new technique to experimentally measure the spatial spectrum of ionospheric disturbances in the spatial scale regime of 40–200 km. This technique produces a two‐dimensional (2‐D) spectrum for each time snapshot over two dense Global Positioning System (GPS) receiver networks (GPS Earth Observation Network in Japan and Plate Boundary Observatory in the Western United States). Because this technique created the spectrum from an instantaneous time snapshot, no assumptions are needed about the speed of ionospheric irregularities. We examine spectra from 3 days: one with an intense geomagnetic storm, one with significant lightning activity, and one quiet day. Radial slices along the 2‐D spectra provide one‐dimensional spectra that can be fit to a power law to quantify the steepness of the falloff in the spatial scale sizes. Continuous data of this type in a stationary location allow monitoring the variability in the 2‐D spectrum over the course of a day and comparing between days, as shown here, or even over a year or many years. We find that the spectra are highly variable over the course of a day and between the two selected regions of Japan and the Western United States. When strong traveling ionospheric disturbances (TIDs) are present, the 2‐D spectra provide information about the direction of propagation of the TIDs. We compare the TID propagation direction with horizontal wind directions from the Horizontal Wind Model. TID direction is correlated with the horizontal wind direction on all days, strongly indicating that the primary source of the TIDs measured by this technique is tropospheric.

Unbiased total electron content (UTEC), their fluctuations, and correlation with seismic activity over Japan

Earthquakes are among the most dangerous events that occur on earth and many scientists have been investigating the underlying processes that take place before earthquakes occur. These investigations are fueling efforts towards developing both single and multiple parameter earthquake forecasting methods based on earthquake precursors. One potential earthquake precursor parameter that has received significant attention within the last few years is the ionospheric total electron content (TEC). Despite its growing popularity as an earthquake precursor, TEC has been under great scrutiny because of the underlying biases associated with the process of acquiring and processing TEC data. Future work in the field will need to demonstrate our ability to acquire TEC data with the least amount of biases possible thereby preserving the integrity of the data. This paper describes a process for removing biases using raw TEC data from the standard Rinex files obtained from any global positioning satellites system. The process is based on developing an unbiased TEC (UTEC) data and model that can be more adaptable to serving as a precursor signal for earthquake forecasting. The model was used during the days and hours leading to the earthquake off the coast of Tohoku, Japan on March 11, 2011 with interesting results. The model takes advantage of the large amount of data available from the GPS Earth Observation Network of Japan to display near real-time UTEC data as the earthquake approaches and for a period of time after the earthquake occurred.

A method of estimating GPS instrumental biases with a convolution algorithm

This paper presents a method of deriving the instrumental differential code biases (DCBs) of GPS satellites and dual frequency receivers. Considering that the total electron content (TEC) varies smoothly over a small area, one ionospheric pierce point (IPP) and four more nearby IPPs were selected to build an equation with a convolution algorithm. In addition, unknown DCB parameters were arranged into a set of equations with GPS observations in a day unit by assuming that DCBs do not vary within a day. Then, the DCBs of satellites and receivers were determined by solving the equation set with the least-squares fitting technique. The performance of this method is examined by applying it to 361 days in 2014 using the observation data from 1311 GPS Earth Observation Network (GEONET) receivers. The result was crosswise-compared with the DCB estimated by the mesh method and the IONEX products from the Center for Orbit Determination in Europe (CODE). The DCB values derived by this method agree with those of the mesh method and the CODE products, with biases of 0.091 ns and 0.321 ns, respectively. The convolution method's accuracy and stability were quite good and showed improvements over the mesh method.

Multi‐TID detection and characterization in a dense Global Navigation Satellite System receiver network

AbstractThe medium‐scale traveling ionospheric disturbances (MSTIDs) constitute the most frequent ionospheric wave signatures. We propose a method for detecting the number of simultaneous MSTIDs from a time series of high‐pass‐filtered Vertical Total Electron Content (VTEC) maps and their parameters. The method is tested on the VTEC map corresponding to a simulated realistic scenario and on actual data from dual‐frequency Global Positioning System (GPS) measurements gathered by +1200 GPS receivers of the GPS Earth Observation Network (GEONET) in Japan. The contribution consists of the detection of the number of independent MSTIDs from a nonuniform sampling of the ionospheric pierce points. The problem is set as a sparse decomposition on elements of a dictionary of atoms that span a linear space of possible MSTIDs. These atoms consist of plane waves characterized by a wavelength, direction, and phase on a surface defined, the part of the ionosphere sounded by the GEONET (i.e., 25°N to 50°N of latitude and 125°E to 155°E of longitude). The technique is related to the atomic decomposition and least absolute shrinkage and selection operator. The geophysical contribution of this paper is showing (a) the detection of several simultaneous MSTIDs of different characteristics, with a continuous change in the velocity; (b) detection of circular MSTID waves compatible by time and center with a specific earthquake; (c) simultaneous superposition of two distinct MSTIDs, with almost the same azimuth; and (d) the presence at nighttime of MSTIDs with velocities in the range 400–600 m/s.

Pattern and evolution of seismo‐ionospheric disturbances following the 2011 Tohoku earthquakes from GPS observations

AbstractGlobal Positioning System (GPS) has been widely used to sense crustal deformation and ionospheric anomalies, particularly seismic ionospheric disturbances. In March 2011, the earthquakes with magnitude of up to Mw = 9 occurred in Tohoku near the east coast of Honshu, Japan. The GPS Earth Observation Network (GEONET) in Japan with more than 1200 continuously operating stations provides a unique opportunity to study the detailed seismic ionospheric disturbances. In this paper, the pattern and evolution of seismic ionospheric disturbances following the Tohoku earthquakes are investigated by dense GEONET data, including amplitude, propagation pattern, direction, speed, and evolution. Maximal coseismic ionospheric disturbances are found with up to more than 4 TECU, and the disturbance period is around 10–20 min. The seismic ionospheric effects following the aftershocks are attenuated with the increase of the time and distance between the ionospheric pierce point and the epicenter of the main event, which last more than 2 h. Seismic ionospheric disturbance detected by GPS measurement is not only related to the main shock but also the giant aftershocks. Propagation velocities of the total electron content (TEC) disturbance show a decrease when it spreads 400–600 km away from the epicenter in the north‐western direction, where it is just near the west coast of Japan. Furthermore, the TEC disturbance also has obvious directional features. In the first half hour, the TEC disturbance in the southeast direction has the biggest amplitude, while the dominant direction is changed to northwest tens of minutes later. In addition, signals with higher frequencies are existed in seismic TEC variation at the epicenter region but do not appear in the far field.

The 2013 Chelyabinsk meteor ionospheric impact studied using GPS measurements

On 15 February 2013, the Chelyabinsk meteor event (the largest in size since 1908) provided a unique opportunity to observe ionospheric perturbations associated with the ablation and ionospheric impact of the meteor using GPS measurements. The hypersonic bolide generated powerful shock waves while acoustic perturbations in the atmosphere led to the upward propagation of acoustic and gravity waves into the ionosphere. In our research, we applied two different techniques to detect ionospheric disturbances in dual-frequency global positioning system (GPS) measurements during the meteor impact event. The data were collected from near-field GPS networks in Russia, GPS Earth Observation Network (GEONET) in Japan, and Plate Boundary Observatory (PBO) stations in the coterminous U.S. Using a novel wavelet coherence detection technique, we were able to identify three different wave trains in the measurements collected from the nearest GPS station to the meteor impact site, with frequencies of approximately 4.0–7.8 mHz, 1.0 −2.5 mHz, and 2.7–11 mHz at 03:30 UTC. We estimated the speed and direction of arrival of the total electron content (TEC) disturbances by cross-correlating TEC time series for every pair of stations in several areas of the GEONET and PBO networks. The results may be characterized as three different types of traveling ionospheric disturbances (TIDs). First, the higher-frequency (4.0–7.8 mHz) disturbances were observed around the station ARTU in Arti, Russia (56.43°N, 58.56°E), with an estimated mean propagation speed of about 862 ± 65 m/s (with 95% confidence interval). Another type of TID disturbance related to the wave trains was identified in the lower frequency band (1.0–2.5 mHz), propagating with a mean speed of 362 ± 23 m/s. The lower frequency ionospheric perturbations were observed at distances of 300–1500 km away from Chelyabinsk. The third type of TID wave train was identified using the PBO stations in the relative short-period range of 1.5–6 min (2.7–11 mHz) with a mean propagation speed of 733 ± 36 m/s. The observed short-period ionospheric perturbations in the U.S. region is, to the best of our knowledge, the first observational evidence of the coincident the long-range meteor-generated infrasound signals propagating in the ionosphere.

Variation of Altitude Observed on the Occasion of the Tohoku Earthquake (M = 9.0) Occurred on March 11, 2011

Since October 1, 2010, a GPS receiver is put into operation at Tokai (Japan) in an experiment on Neutrino Physics (T2K). A significant variation of the altitude was detected from the beginning of March 2011, so that it has made worthwhile to investigate the possibility that such variations could be correlated to the Tohoku earthquake. In order to investigate in details this possibility, we analyzed the GPS data collected during 2011 by GEONet the GPS Earth Observation Network (GEONET). GEONET is the GPS network of Japan and consists of 1240 permanent stations. Preliminary results of the analysis seemed to show ten days before the earthquake, some possible anomalous behaviors of the stations. These anomalous behaviors were particularly relevant for stations of the network near the epicentral area. While co-seismic and post-seismic variations are widely expected, the anomalies recorded about ten days before the earthquake could be seriously considered among short-term precursors of the earthquake. In order to confirm this possibility, more detailed studies have been performed. In particular, GEONET currently makes available only daily solutions of the stations coordinates. On the contrary, it is very important to improve the time resolution just to understand the features of the anomalies till the last hours before the Earthquake. For this reason, we have performed an analysis to evaluate the coordinates and movement on hourly basis so improving the time resolution.

Nonplanar Fault Source Modeling of the 2008Mw 6.9 Iwate–Miyagi Inland Earthquake in Northeast Japan

We use crustal deformation data sets acquired by the Phased Array‐Type L ‐Band Synthetic Aperture Radar (PALSAR) and the Japanese nationwide Global Positioning System (GPS) Earth Observation Network (GEONET) to develop a fault source model for the 2008 Iwate–Miyagi inland earthquake ( M w 6.9) that occurred on 14 June 2008 in northeastern Honshu, Japan. The PALSAR data include Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (InSAR), range offset, and azimuth offset acquired from both ascending and descending paths. The range‐ and azimuth‐offset data are the only quantitative deformation signals around the epicenter, and exhibit complicated signals that were not detected by the GPS data. We refine our preliminary model by using Green’s functions from triangular dislocation elements to represent nonplanar fault geometries. Although a single segment model can well explain the GPS data, it generates significant misfit residuals in the offset data; thus, both west‐dipping and east‐dipping segments are necessary, as also suggested from aftershock distribution data. The moment magnitudes of the west‐dipping and east‐dipping faults are 6.53 and 6.76, respectively, and the total sum, 6.87, is almost identical to the seismological moment magnitude. This result suggests that both segments contributed equally to the total seismic moment, demonstrating a complex rupture process of the inland earthquake.

A small persistent locked area associated with the 2011 Mw9.0 Tohoku‐Oki earthquake, deduced from GPS data

Co‐seismic fault slip distributions of the 2011 Tohoku‐Oki earthquake and inter‐seismic couplings prior to the earthquake were estimated from surface 3‐dimensional displacements measured by the GPS Earth Observation Network (GEONET). The deduced co‐seismic slip was up to 30 m near the epicenter, and greater than 5 m in a 400 × 200‐km region extending along the Japan Trench. The moment magnitude of the slip was estimated to beMw9.0. The area of co‐seismic slip greater than 10 m overlaps with four previously known M7‐class asperities. We researched inter‐plate coupling on the fault for 15 years prior to the earthquake using daily GPS data. We determined that the plate boundary was locked during at least the last 15 years in a limited area of a few 10 s of km, approximately coinciding with the maximum co‐seismic slip area, suggesting that this small area had been persistently locked and that the rupture of this last patch played an important role to cause the mega‐thrust earthquake. The low seismic‐coupling which is ratio of seismic slip to slip deficit accumulation of M7‐class earthquakes in this area, which were reported by a study using seismic wave analysis over the past 80 years, can be explained by the influence of this locked area which may have dragged the hanging wall and suppressed the effective slip deficit in surrounding area.

Wide-area land subsidence caused by “the 2011 Off the Pacific Coast of Tohoku Earthquake”

This paper gives an overview of the crustal deformation caused by “the 2011 off the Pacific Coast of Tohoku Earthquake” (hereinafter: “the Tohoku Earthquake”) as detected by the GPS Earth Observation Network (GEONET), a GPS continuous observation system operated by the Geospatial Information Authority of Japan (GSI), and of ground deformation resulting from liquefaction triggered by the earthquake motion as determined by a leveling survey. A very large part of the Japanese archipelago was affected by the crustal deformation caused by the mainshock. The subsidence in the Pacific coastal area of the Tohoku region is especially remarkable. Based on a resurvey after the earthquake, the GSI revised the coordinates and heights of survey marks, including the Origin of the Japanese Horizontal Control Network and the Origin of the Japanese Vertical Control Network. We estimated the geometry of the seismogenic fault of the Tohoku Earthquake, as well as a slip model for the boundary between the Pacific Plate and the North American Plate, based on crustal deformation data. Postseismic crustal deformation was also observed by GEONET. Even though the area that coseismicaly subsided is undergoing partial uplift from postseismic deformation, such uplift is not rapid enough to make up for the coseismic subsidence within the next several years.The earthquake caused liquefaction in large parts of the Kanto Region, especially on the Tokyo Bay side and at the lower reaches of the Tone River. Liquefaction was concentrated in areas of land reclamation and former river channels, where it is easy to recognize using time-series geospatial information such as olden topographic maps and olden aerial photographs. To determine the amount of land subsidence (cm) due to liquefaction in Urayasu City, the GSI carried out a leveling survey and compared the differences between pre- and post-earthquake LIDAR survey data with the relative subsidence obtained by leveling.

Mid‐latitude ionospheric irregularities persisting into late morning during the magnetic storm on 19 March 2001

Post‐sunrise intense ionospheric irregularities at low to mid‐latitudes are reported for the first time. A method based on spaced‐receiver technique is proposed to estimate the apparent drift velocity of the irregularities by using the correlation of the slant total electron content (TEC) from 3 GPS receivers. The irregularities were detected at 23∼45°N by the GPS Earth Observation Network (GEONET) of Japan from ∼0455 LT to ∼1051 LT on 21 March 2001 during the recovery phase of the magnetic storm. At the corresponding time spread F was observed with 3 ionosondes located meridionally at Okinawa (127.8°E, 26.3°N; 20.7°N magnetic latitude), Kokubunji (139.5°E, 35.7°N; 30.0°N magnetic latitude) and Wakkanai (141.7°E, 45.4°N; 40.5°N magnetic latitude), while an intense negative ionospheric storm was processing and propagating from mid to lower latitudes. The irregularities were seen as plasma bubbles by the Defense Meteorological Satellite Program (DMSP) in‐situ measurements. Westward drift with the speed of ∼100 m/s was estimated by spaced receivers from GEONET and confirmed by DMSP during the evolution of the irregularities. The plasma bubbles at mid‐latitude sustained ∼1.5 hour after sunrise, and at the lower latitudes they survived more than 4 hours after sunrise. The observations suggested that the irregularities were generated by an eastward electric field associated with the disturbance dynamo, and the long time existence of the irregularities after sunrise seemed to be related to the daytime intense negative ionospheric storm on 21 March.

Multi-Layer Ionospheric VTEC Estimation for GNSS Positioning

In this paper, the multi-layer ionospheric model based regional VTEC (Vartical Total Electron Content) estimation methods applied by GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) Regressive models (abbreviated as GR models) are presented. In the methods, the SCHA (Spherical Cap Harmonic Analysis) as well as the SHF (spherical harmonic functions) are also applied to model the regional VTEC distributions. The ionospheric delays (or advances) over Japan are estimated by using GEONET (Gps Earth Observation NETwork) data provided from the GSI (Geospatial Information Authority of Japan). By applying the ionospheric correction based on the multi-layer model, the positioning accuracy can be improved, and consequently the regional ionosphere can be modeled more accurately by the multi-layer model.

Rifting of Kyushu, Japan, based on the fault-controlled concurrent eruption of oceanic island basalt-type and island arc-type lavas

The tectonic environment of Kyushu, Japan is affected both by the subduction of the Philippine Sea plate and by the extensional tectonics related to rifting of Okinawa Trough at the eastern margin of the Eurasia Plate. We found that the Sendai fault zone acts as a channel for concurrent eruption of oceanic island basalt (OIB)-type and island arc (IA)-type basaltic rocks, propagating west to east in the Sendai region of southern Kyushu. The location of the Sendai fault zone is likely to correspond to the left-lateral shear zone in southern Kyushu as inferred by GPS Earth Observation Network. A similar magmatic association is present in the Beppu–Shimabara (BS) graben system in central Kyushu. The associate magmas of OIB-type rocks in Kyushu can be classified into typical, EM II-like and their intermediate OIB-type magmas in addition to MORB-like OIB-type magma in 87Sr/86Sr–Nb/Y systematics. Typical OIB-type and intermediate OIB-type magmas are erupted within the Sendai fault zone and BS graben system, respectively. The former is characterized by highest Nb/Y but low 87Sr/86Sr similar to MORB-like OIB-type magma erupted in northern Kyushu and the latter has intermediate Nb/Y and 87Sr/86Sr between typical and EM II-like OIB-type magmas. Almost all the IA-type rocks within the Sendai fault zone are generated from parental IA-type magma in Kyushu and characterized by weak crustal assimilation, having the lowest 87Sr/86Sr similar to typical OIB-type magma but the highest 143Nd/144Nd of arc magmas in Kyushu. The ages of both types of basaltic rocks within the Sendai fault zone range from 1.6 to <0.01 Ma clearly younger than those of andesitic rocks on northern and southern outsides of the fault zone and become younger from west to east. Initial formation of the fault zone has been induced by the counterclockwise rotation of southern Kyushu during the last 2 Ma as well as the BS graben system. Kyushu has continued to be split into three parts by the Sendai fault zone and BS graben during the Quaternary; northern, central, and southern zones. Their initial formation ages are likely to be linked to the initial rifting age of the middle Okinawa Trough back-arc basin.

2011年（平成23年）東北地方太平洋沖地震に伴う地震時および地震後の地殻変動と断層モデル

A great earthquake with a moment magnitude of 9.0 occurred on March 11, 2011, rupturing the plate boundary off the Pacific coast of the northeastern Japan. Large displacements induced by this great earthquake were observed by the GPS Earth Observation Network system (GEONET) over the entire Japanese Islands, and were also detected by the seafloor geodetic observation (SGO) along the Japan Trench. The maximum horizontal displacement observed by the GEONET reaches 5.4 m at the tip of the Oshika Peninsula, and exceeds 30 m at ocean bottom detected by SGO. The subsidence up to 1.1 m was observed by the land GPS along the Pacific coast, and the uplift up to 5 m was detected by the SGO near the epicenter. Based on these geodetic data, the area of coseismic slip is estimated to be ∼450 km long and ∼200 km wide along the Japan Trench with a maximum slip of larger than 50 m near the trench. Because no M≥8.5 earthquake was identified there during the historical period, how strains are accumulated and released is the most essential problem to be solved. The shallower portion of the plate interface has been considered to be decoupled, but such an idea needs to be revised after the Tohoku earthquake. The postseismic deformation exceeds 70 cm for 180 days after the main shock. The coseismic subsidence areas begin to uplift except for the area in the Iwate prefecture. Estimated afterslip exceeds 2.0 m and its area extends to the west, south and north of the coseismic slip area with a moment magnitude of 8.5 for 180 days. The area of the afterslip was extended westward and reaches a depth of approximately 90 km of the subducting plate. Northern and southern edges of the area of afterslip seem to be limited by the source region of the 1994 Sanriku-Haruka-oki earthquake and the north limit of the overriding Philippine Sea plates, respectively. Although the afterslip decayed rapidly with time, the area of afterslip is estimated to be ∼400 km long and ∼180 km wide with a maximum slip of larger than 0.15 m during the period from August 8 to September 7, 2011 that corresponds to a moment magnitude of 7.6. It is definitely important that we continue the observation of the postseismic deformation and carefully monitor the temporal and spatial change of the afterslip for the purpose of the mitigation of hazard due to incoming huge interplate earthquake and understanding the earthquake generation cycle.

Ionospheric disturbance associated with radiation accidents of Fukushima I nuclear power plant damaged by the M9.0 2011 Tohoku Earthquake

Transient ionospheric disturbances in the total electron content (TEC) are examined before and after the M9.0 2011 off the Pacific coast of Tohoku Earthquake to find ionospheric responses to the radiation caused by Fukushima I nuclear power plant accident, which was damaged by the earthquake and tsunamis. The TEC is derived from records of a ground-based receiving network of GPS Earth Observation Network (GEONET) in Japan. Both small enhancement and disturbance of TEC were detected over the nuclear power plant after the radiation was suddenly enhanced on March 14 of 2011, while similar signatures were not detected in the other sudden radiation enhancements. Further, no continuous enhancement and disturbance lasting for more than an hour were observed over the nuclear power plant. Therefore, the results indicate that radioactive materials may not cause the ionospheric disturbance or disturb the ionosphere in highly specific circumstance even if such effects exist.

The 2011 off the Pacific coast of Tohoku Earthquake and its aftershocks observed by GEONET

The large displacement induced by the 2011 M 9.0 off the Pacific coast of Tohoku Earthquake was observed by GPS stations of the permanent GPS Earth Observation Network system (GEONET) in northeastern Japan. The displacement was characterized by the eastward displacement and subsidence in the Pacific coastal area. The horizontal displacement exceeded 5.3 m, which is the largest ever detected by GEONET. The mainshock was followed by a sequence of aftershocks. We processed the GPS data through a kinematic positioning strategy to clarify the deformation, including the deformation caused by the mainshock, with high temporal resolutions. The offsets calculated from the kinematic coordinates separately depict the coseismic displacements of the mainshock, the largest aftershock, and the third largest. The fault model for these earthquakes suggests that the largest (M 7.7) and third largest (M 7.3) aftershocks ruptured the southern and northern extensions of the mainshock fault, respectively.

Long Baseline GNSS Relative Positioning with Estimating Ionospheric and Tropospheric Delays and their gradients

In the long baseline GPS (Global Positioning System)/GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) relative positioning the ionospheric and tropospheric delays are dominant factors for the positioning accuracy. In this paper, we present Real Time Kinematic (RTK) relative positioning algorithms for long baselines with simultaneously estimating ionospheric and tropospheric delays and their gradients. Also some dynamical models [1-3] of the rover station are reviewed for applying Kalman filters, and we show the experimental results of relative positioning for various baselines (short, medium, long) by using the Gps Earth Observation NETwork (GEONET) data provided by Geospatial Information Authority (GSI) of Japan.