Determination of the regional deformation rates of Shanghai and Kashima VLBI stations based on ITRF97

The vertical deformation rates (VDRs) and horizontal deformation rates (HDRs) of Shanghai VLBI station in China and Kashima and Kashima34 VLBI stations in Japan were re-analysed using the baseline length change rates from Shanghai to 13 global VLBI stations, and from Kashima to 27 stations and from Kashima34 to 12 stations, based on the NASA VLBI global solution glb1123 (Ma, 1999). The velocity vectors of the global VLBI stations were referred to the ITRF97 reference frame, and the Eulerian vectors of different models of plate motion were used for comparative solutions. The VDR of Shanghai station is estimated to be −1.91±0.56 mm/yr, and those of Kashima and Kashima34 stations, −3.72±0.74mm/yr and −8.81±0.84mm/yr, respectively. The difference between the last two was verified by further analysis. Similar estimates were also made for the Kokee, Kauai and MK_VLBA VLBI stations in mid-Pacific.     

A study of the optimal configuration of three-satellite constellations for positioning on earth''s surface

Simulative calculations are carried out for finding out the relationship between the geometrical configuration of three-satellite constellations and the precision of positioning of a station. The results show that an equilateral triangle configuration gives the highest positioning accuracy.     

J 2000.0 positions and proper motions of 257 stars in the central part of the Praesepe astrometric standard region

We given the J2000.0 position and proper motions of 257 stars in the central 1.5° × 1.5° area of the Praesepe astrometric standard region with accuracies of 0.005˜0.10 arcsec for the position in each direction and 0.0002˜0.006 arcsec/yr for the proper motions in each direction.     

A method of astronomical autonomous orbit and attitude determinations for satellites

A method of realtime autonomous orbit determination for earth satellites using the extended Kalman filtering is proposed. The observed quantities are: the satellite-sun direction vector measured by a sun sensor, the satellite-earth and satellite-moon direction vectors measured by an ultraviolet sensor, and the geocentric distance measured by a radar altimeter. At the same time the satellite attitude to the earth is also determined. Results of our simulation of the autonomous orbit determination show that the precision of the orbit determinations is better than 200 m. The effects of the sampling period, orbital inclination, orbital eccentricity and orbital altitude on the precision of orbit determination are analyzed and compared, and certain principles helpful for improving the precision of orbit determination are suggested.     

An algorithm for a near real-time data processing of GPS common-view observations

Near real-time transfer of GPS common-view data is no longer a problem, but near real-time data processing of the data still calls for study, because it is not yet achieved by the usual smoothing and filtering techniques. Based on the characteristics of the GPS common-view data, a Kalman filtering algorithm is designed for estimating the time difference between two sites, while greatly reducing the observational noise. The algorithm is applied to the time difference between the National Time Service Center (NTSC) of China and the Communications Research Laboratory (CRL) of Japan (Over 2000 km apart), and to that between the CRL and the Korean Research Institute of Standards and Sciences (KRIS) (over 1000 km apart). The root mean square errors of the results obtained by the Kalman filter relative to those obtained from the Circular T of BIPM are less than 2.9 ns and 2.6 ns, in the two cases. Further, it is pointed out that, when multi-site data within a common-view network are available we can further improve the accuracy of the time comparisons by indirect observation adjustment. This statement was justified by application to the data from all three stations, i.e. NTSC, CRL, and KRIS.     

Astronomical refraction: formulas for all zenith distances

In real-time applications fast and accurate algorithms for calculating astronomical refraction are required. Some of the most widely-used expressions are fast, but numerically unstable, and can not be applied where the correction is largest, i.e. close to the horizon. In the present paper a new formula for refraction, which is both fast and numerically stable, is given and compared with previously published refraction formulas. The approximate calculation of refraction 'below the horizon', and of the finite distance correction near the horizon, are also discussed.     

Variations of the solid Earth's center of mass due to oceanic tides

Periodic variations in the location of the center of mass of the solid Earth due to ocean tides are derived from the ocean tide model of Seiler (1991). The sum of nine partial tides leads to changes in the coordinates X, Y, Z within a range of 1cm.     

Magnetic remote sensing of Europa’s ocean tides

Recent analyses of Galileo magnetometer and gravity data justifies approximations that allow estimates of the magnetic fields generated by Europa’s ocean tides to be made even though some of the ocean parameters that would generally be required are unavailable. We show solutions for the magnetic fields generated by published estimates of ocean tides on Europa and provide simple scaling formulas that can be used to estimate the magnetic-field amplitudes for other choices for the ocean tidal state. Because of the distinguished spatial/temporal form of these fields, it is expected that Europa’s ocean tides can be inferred from remote magnetic sensing by an orbiter of sufficient duration.     

On the singular points of the Abelian integral transformation in the GPS/LEO occultation technique

In the inversion terrestrial atmosphere technique the inversion of theAbelian integral is one of the most often used methods for deriving the refractive index profile of the terrestrial atmosphere from GPS/LLEO radio occultation data. There exists the problem of singular point in the Abelian integral. Different methods for solving this problem are discussed and a method of finding an analytic solution of the Abelian integral after a variable transformation is proposed. The accuracies of the various methods are compared by means of simulation calculations.     

Early tides: Response to Varga et al.

Tidal cycling has been causally implicated at the origin of life, but the speed of early tides has not been established. The rotation period of the Earth is the dominant parameter, and a length of day (LOD) of under 6 h at 3.9 Ga was inferred by regression from present values [Lathe, R. 2004. Icarus 168, 18-22]. However, this would imply critical lunar proximity at that time; in their commentary Varga et al. instead argue for a more distant Moon, proposing LOD=16.8 h. The debate is accentuated because regression from current values requires an Earth-Moon juxtaposition at around 2 Ga, for which there is no evidence. A smooth retreat from a Moon-forming impact at 4.5 Ga is also irreconcilable with the weight of paleotidal evidence. An inflection in the lunar recession curve is required to reconcile current and recent Earth-Moon values with a 4.5 Ga origin, requiring a change in tidal friction during the evolution of the Earth-Moon system. Depending on whether this took place at ∼2-2.5 Ga before present, or more recently (∼0.8-0.2 Ga), LOD values are estimated at between 12 and 16 h, suggesting a compromise figure of LOD=∼14 h, with tides every ∼7 h, at 3.9 Ga.     

A refined model for the influence of ocean tides on UT1 and polar motion

Periodic changes in Universal Time and polar motion have been derived from a numerical ocean model for a number of small partial tides. Combined with the results reported earlier our model now includes the 34 most important constituents of degree 2 (measured by the amplitude of the tidal potential). The results show that the terms neglected in all existing models amount to 80 μs in UT1 and to 0.3 mas in polar motion.     

Origin of the ocean on the Earth: Early evolution of water D/H in a hydrogen-rich atmosphere

The origin of the Earth's ocean has been discussed on the basis of deuterium/hydrogen ratios (D/H) of several sources of water in the Solar System. The average D/H of carbonaceous chondrites (CC's) is known to be close to the current D/H of the Earth's ocean, while those of comets and the solar nebula are larger by about a factor of two and smaller by about a factor of seven, respectively, than that of the Earth's ocean. Thus, the main source of the Earth's ocean has been thought to be CC's or adequate mixing of comets and the solar nebula. However, those conclusions are correct only if D/H of water on the Earth has remained unchanged for the past 4.5 Gyr. In this paper, we investigate evolution of D/H in the ocean in the case that the early Earth had a hydrogen-rich atmosphere, the existence of which is predicted by recent theories of planet formation no matter whether the nebula remains or not. Then we show that D/H in the ocean increases by a factor of 2-9, which is caused by the mass fractionation during atmospheric hydrogen loss, followed by deuterium exchange between hydrogen gas and water vapor during ocean formation. This result suggests that the apparent similarity in D/H of water between CC's and the current Earth's ocean does not necessarily support the CC's origin of water and that the apparent discrepancy in D/H is not a good reason for excluding the nebular origin of water.     

Effect of Earth''s solid tides on pulsar observations

It is shown that the effect of the solid tide in the Earth's crust is not negligible in the observed period changes ΔP/P and period rate changes of pulsars.     

液核地球自转速率变化的带谐潮效应Ⅰ--理论公式

根据液核地球动力学原理,重新推导了在日月子引潮力作用下的地球自转速率变化的理论公式,由此明确地引入了液核影响因子,它与地球和液核的极转动惯量的变化有关。不同于Yoder.C.F(1981)的理论,本文给出了基于引潮力位Doodson展开的地球自转速率变化、日长变化和世界时变化的理论公式,指出尺度因子的转动惯量应取为地幔的有效极转动惯量,Love数应取地幔的有效Love数的理由。     

液核地球自转速率变化的带谐潮效应Ⅱ--数值计算与比较

地球自转速率的潮汐变化可由无量纲参数k/cm)(k和cm分别为壳幔的有效Love数和有效极转动惯量)来表征。对于一个具有弹性地幔、平衡海潮和核幔不耦合的地球k/cm=0.944,且与潮波频率无关。海潮的非平衡扰动使k/cm为复数,且与频率有关。大气对自转速率有效勒夫数的贡献约为Δkat=0.0075。同时地幔滞弹性对勒夫数也产生扰动。利用本文得到的理论公式和最新的潮汐数据计算了地球自转速率的潮汐变化,及其有关地球物理机制的影响。     

Thermal tides on Pluto

Stellar occultations have shown that vertical profiles of density fluctuations in the atmosphere of Pluto typically show wave-like structure with an amplitude of a few percent and vertical wavelengths of a few kilometers. Here we calculate the tidal response of Pluto’s atmosphere to solar-induced sublimation “breathing” from N₂ frost patches. Solutions show global-scale wave-like density structure capable of explaining the observations. The atmospheric response is a combination of eastward and westward migrating tides, together with a zonally symmetric mode. Calculated vertical wavelengths and amplitudes are similar to observations.     

The influence of the electromagnetic core-mantle coupling torques on earth's rotation

The electromagnetic core-mantle coupling is one of the most likely hypotheses to explain the connections between both, the decade fluctuations of the Earth rotation and such of the magnetic field of the Earth. Within this paper, the axial and equatorial electromagnetic torques are computed at time intervals of two years from 1903.5 to 1975.5. They are compared with mechanical torques necessary for the excitation of the decade variations of the rotation of the Earth. The comparison is made with regard to the magnitude of the torques, to their time behaviour and to the periods within the time variations of both types of the torques. The computed electromagnetic torques are comparable with that necessary to excite the variations of the rotation of the Earth. But they are two or three orders less than that necessary to excite the decade variations of the polar motion. Some comparable periods were found within the spectra of the electromagnetic and the mechanical torques. This speaks in favour of the core-mantle coupling. But there are differences between both spectra too hinting at other processes which we cannot describe by a simple model of the core-mantle coupling.     

A Study on the Recovery and Classification of Meteorites from the Mt. Grove Region of Antarctica

The Antarctic Continent has become the largest natural preservatory of meteorites in the world because of its unique geographical position and climatic conditions. Mt. Grove is located in the inland area of the Antarctic Continent where the conditions are favorable for the preservation of meteorites. During China's 15th, 16th and 19th Antarctic Scientific Explorations a large number of meteorites were recovered in the Mt. Grove region. Especially during the 19th Exploration in 2002/03 a total of 4448 meteorites were recovered, which at one stroke put China among countries that have recovered most numbers of meteorites. Here, we report mainly the results of microscope and electron microprobe studies of 28 meteorites recovered during the 16th Exploration. The meteorites are chemically classified based on their mean Fa contents of olivine, mean Fs contents of low-Ca pyroxene and abundances of Fe-Ni metal. We also give a brief account of the meteorite recovery during the three Explorations and of some preli     

Length of the day and evolution of the Earth's core in the geological past

In this paper, we study quantitatively the effect of the Earth's core formation on the secular rate of change of the length of day (LOD). We find that for the present epoch, a growth rate of the core comprised between 1 and 10 mm/cy seems to be a plausible guess, leading to a relative de crease of LOD comprised roughly between 10 and 100 μs/cy. Such values do not affect significantly the observed secular in crease of LOD caused by tidal braking, which amounts to about 1.79 ms/cy. However, in the remote geological past, before the Phanerozoic, the effects of core growth may have been much more important, because the total change of LOD associated with core formation has been estimated by Birch in 1965 to be 2.4 hours for an initially undifferentiated cold Earth, and 3.1 hours for an initially undifferentiated hot Earth. We consider a number of scenarios, some of them corresponding to very early and/or very fast core formation, others corresponding to slow and/or late core formation. We show that palaeo‐LOD measurements seem to favour slow core formation during the Proterozoic, contrarily to the now largely prevailing hypothesis based on geochemical arguments that the iron core formed very early in the Earth's history and during a geologically short time interval (© 2011 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)