A technique for modeling the Earth’s gravity field on the basis of satellite accelerations

A technique is proposed for Earths gravity field modeling on the basis of satellite accelerations that are derived from precise orbit data. The functional model rests on Newtons second law. The computational procedure is based on the pre-conditioned conjugate-gradient (PCCG) method. The data are treated as weighted average accelerations rather than as point-wise ones. As a result, a simple three-point numerical differentiation scheme can be used to derive them. Noise in the orbit-derived accelerations is strongly dependent on frequency. Therefore, the key element of the proposed technique is frequency-dependent data weighting. Fast convergence of the PCCG procedure is ensured by a block-diagonal pre-conditioner (approximation of the normal matrix), which is derived under the so-called Colombo assumptions. Both uninterrupted data sets and data with gaps can be handled. The developed technique is compared with other approaches: (1) the energy balance approach (based on the energy conservation law) and (2) the traditional approach (based on the integration of variational equations). Theoretical considerations, supported by a numerical study, show that the proposed technique is more accurate than the energy balance approach and leads to approximately the same results as the traditional one. The former finding is explained by the fact that the energy balance approach is only sensitive to the along-track force component. Information about the cross-track and the radial component of the gravitational potential gradient is lost because the corresponding force components do no work and do not contribute to the energy balance. Furthermore, it is shown that the proposed technique is much (possibly, orders of magnitude) faster than the traditional one because it does not require the computation of the normal matrix. Hints are given on how the proposed technique can be adapted to the explicit assembling of the normal matrix if the latter is needed for the computation of the model covariance matrix.Acknowledgments. Professor R. Klees is thanked for support of the project and for numerous fruitful discussions. The authors are also thankful to Dr. J. Kusche for useful remarks and to Dr. E. Schrama, his solid background in satellite geodesy proved to be very helpful. A large number of valuable comments were made by Dr. S.-C. Han, Dr. P. Schwintzer, and an anonymous reviewer; their contribution is greatly acknowledged. The satellite orbits used in the numerical study were kindly provided by Dr. P. Visser (Aerospace Department, Delft University of Technology). Access to the SGI Origin 3800 computer was provided by Stichting Nationale Computerfaciliteiten (NCF), grant SG-027.     

Mapping nonlinear shallow-water tides: a look at the past and future

Overtides and compound tides are generated by nonlinear mechanisms operative primarily in shallow waters. Their presence complicates tidal analysis owing to the multitude of new constituents and their possible frequency overlap with astronomical tides. The science of nonlinear tides was greatly advanced by the pioneering researches of Christian Le Provost who employed analytical theory, physical modeling, and numerical modeling in many extensive studies, especially of the tides of the English Channel. Le Provost’s complementary work with satellite altimetry motivates our attempts to merge these two interests. After a brief review, we describe initial steps toward the assimilation of altimetry into models of nonlinear tides via generalized inverse methods. A series of barotropic inverse solutions is computed for the M tide over the northwest European Shelf. Future applications of altimetry to regions with fewer in situ measurements will require improved understanding of error covariance models because these control the tradeoffs between fitting hydrodynamics and data, a delicate issue in coastal regions. While M can now be robustly determined along the Topex/Poseidon satellite ground tracks, many other compound tides face serious aliasing problems. In memory of Christian Le Provost     

地区级旅游卫星帐户构建的国际经验及启示

地区级旅游卫星帐户(R-TSA)的构建在世界范围内普遍面临着机构、统计、框架、方法等方面的障碍。有些国家已经在R-TSA的数据收集、统计体系规范、TSA框架构建、影响效应估算等方面进行了一些探索和试验,以丹麦、安达卢西亚、澳大利亚的R-TSA的编制实践为例,探讨其经验与不足,并总结提炼出其对中国省市自治区级旅游卫星帐户的编制启示。     

CBERS-02B卫星遥感影像的区域网平差

针对中巴资源一号卫星(CBERS-02B)卫星遥感影像姿态角误差较大的特点,提出了利用区域网平差方法提高其对地目标定位精度的策略和具体计算过程。首先对参与平差的每景影像选取4个地面控制点进行影像姿态角常差检校,然后采用与地形无关方案解求各自的RPC参数,最后选取带仿射变换项的有理函数模型(RFM)进行多重覆盖影像的区域网平差。对两个地区的0级CBERS-02B单条CCD立体影像对的区域网平差试验表明,对地目标定位的平面和高程精度均达到了±3个像元的水平,且高程精度明显优于平面精度。相对于常规的卫星遥感影像区域网平差方法,平面和高程精度均有明显提升,几乎达到国外同等高分辨率卫星遥感影像的几何定位精度。这说明中国卫星遥感影像亦具有较好的几何定位潜力,在区域网平差之前进行系统误差预改正是必要和可行的。     

卫星微波被动遥感云中液态水的研究进展

卫星微波被动遥感云中液态水的研究在近30年中取得了较大的进展.卫星遥感仪器的不断进步、探测精度的不断提高为卫星微波被动遥感云中液态水提供了技术和资料保障,在此基础上针对卫星微波被动遥感云中液态水技术而发展的一些统计反演方法和物理反演方法不断地得到改进、完善和提高.文中主要就各个时期发展的主要反演方法做了简要回顾,概括了这些反演方法的关键技术,评述了各自的优点和局限性.由于海表和陆表的辐射特性的巨大差异,分别就海洋上空和陆地上空云中液态水的统计和物理反演技术方法进行了综述,并进行了比较.针对地表比辐射率这一制约陆地上空云中液态水反演技术发展的瓶颈问题,也进行了相关评述和讨论.     

集合预报风场扰动的物理结构及演变特征

初始扰动结构和振幅的合理性直接影响到集合预报的质量和整体性能,合理的初始扰动结构是确保集合预报扰动质量的关键.本文基于欧洲中期天气预报中心数据、我国T639全球集合预报系统以及GRAPES区域集合预报系统的预报场,针对模式初值不确定性,主要研究了风场初始扰动结构及其集合离散度、扰动能量等结构和演变特征,分析了集合预报风...     

Digging into Google Earth: An analysis of “Crisis in Darfur”

Google publicists have suggested the Crisis in Darfur is an example of the Google Earth software’s “success at tangibly impacting what is happening on the ground.” Yet whether or not Google Earth’s interface, along with a medley of other media representations of the conflict, have impacted events on the ground or led to coherent policies of humanitarian intervention remains open to debate. This article draws upon critical approaches from media studies—namely discourse analysis—to analyze several aspects of the Google Earth/USHMM Crisis in Darfur project. While this project was no doubt developed with the noble intention of generating international awareness about widespread violence that has recently occurred in the Darfur region, it is important to evaluate how representations of global conflicts are changing with uses of new information technologies and whether such representations can actually achieve their desired impacts or effects. The article begins with a discussion of the Crisis in Darfur project’s history, proceeds to analyze some of the press coverage of the project and then moves to a critique of the layer using four categories of analysis: (1) the shifting role of satellite image; (2) the temporality of the interface; (3) the practice of conflict branding; and (4) the practice of “information intervention.” Throughout the article, I explore how the presentation of Darfur-related materials through Google Earth reproduces problematic Western tropes of African tragedy and misses an opportunity to generate public literacy around satellite images. I also consider how humanitarianism is intertwined with digital and disaster capitalism, and suggest that this instance of “information intervention” makes patently clear that high visual capital alone cannot resolve global conflicts.     

Position and velocity perturbations for the determination of geopotential from space geodetic measurements

Although space geodetic observing systems have been advanced recently to such a revolutionary level that low Earth Orbiting (LEO) satellites can now be tracked almost continuously and at the unprecedented high accuracy, none of the three basic methods for mapping the Earth’s gravity field, namely, Kaula linear perturbation, the numerical integration method and the orbit energy-based method, could meet the demand of these challenging data. Some theoretical effort has been made in order to establish comparable mathematical modellings for these measurements, notably by Mayer-Gürr et al. (J Geod 78:462–480, 2005). Although the numerical integration method has been routinely used to produce models of the Earth’s gravity field, for example, from recent satellite gravity missions CHAMP and GRACE, the modelling error of the method increases with the increase of the length of an arc. In order to best exploit the almost continuity and unprecedented high accuracy provided by modern space observing technology for the determination of the Earth’s gravity field, we propose using measured orbits as approximate values and derive the corresponding coordinate and velocity perturbations. The perturbations derived are quasi-linear, linear and of second-order approximation. Unlike conventional perturbation techniques which are only valid in the vicinity of reference mean values, our coordinate and velocity perturbations are mathematically valid uniformly through a whole orbital arc of any length. In particular, the derived coordinate and velocity perturbations are free of singularity due to the critical inclination and resonance inherent in the solution of artificial satellite motion by using various types of orbital elements. We then transform the coordinate and velocity perturbations into those of the six Keplerian orbital elements. For completeness, we also briefly outline how to use the derived coordinate and velocity perturbations to establish observation equations of space geodetic measurements for the determination of geopotential.     

Equilibria of a satellite subjected to gravitational and aerodynamic torques with pressure center in a principal plane of inertia

Attitude motion of a satellite subjected to gravitational and aerodynamic torques in a circular orbit is considered. In special case, when the center of pressure of aerodynamic forces is located in one of the principal central planes of inertia of the satellite, all equilibrium orientations are determined. Existence conditions of all equilibria are obtained and evolution of domains with a fixed number of equilibria is investigated in detail. All bifurcation values of the system’s parameters corresponding to the qualitative change of these domains are determined. Sufficient conditions of stability are obtained for each equilibrium orientation using generalized integral of energy.     

Validation of MODIS integrated water vapor product against reference GPS data at the Iberian Peninsula

In this work, the water vapor product from MODIS (MODerate-resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer) instrument, on-board Aqua and Terra satellites, is compared against GPS water vapor data from 21 stations in the Iberian Peninsula as reference. GPS water vapor data is obtained from ground-based receiver stations which measure the delay caused by water vapor in the GPS microwave signals. The study period extends from 2007 until 2012. Regression analysis in every GPS station show that MODIS overestimates low integrated water vapor (IWV) data and tends to underestimate high IWV data. R² shows a fair agreement, between 0.38 and 0.71. Inter-quartile range (IQR) in every station is around 30–45%. The dependence on several parameters was also analyzed. IWV dependence showed that low IWV are highly overestimated by MODIS, with high IQR (low precision), sharply decreasing as IWV increases. Regarding dependence on solar zenith angle (SZA), performance of MODIS IWV data decreases between 50° and 90°, while night-time MODIS data (infrared) are quite stable. The seasonal cycles of IWV and SZA cause a seasonal dependence on MODIS performance. In summer and winter, MODIS IWV tends to overestimate the reference IWV value, while in spring and autumn the tendency is to underestimate. Low IWV from coastal stations is highly overestimated (∼60%) and quite imprecise (IQR around 60%). On the contrary, high IWV data show very little dependence along seasons. Cloud-fraction (CF) dependence was also studied, showing that clouds display a negligible impact on IWV over/underestimation. However, IQR increases with CF, except in night-time satellite values, which are quite stable.