Abstract:
Objectives Accurately identifying the optimal noise model of global navigation satellite system (GNSS) vertical coordinate time series is vital to obtain reliable uplift or subsidence deformation velocity fields and assess the associated uncertainties.
Methods In this paper, we collect data from 9 noise models including white noise (WN), flicker noise (FN), power-law noise (PL), random walk noise(RW), WN+FN, WN+PL, WN+generalized Gauss⁃Markov noise, WN+RW, WN+RW+FN.These data and noise models are used to analyze the noise characteristics of GNSS vertical coordinate time series before and after environmental loading correction at 94 stations spanning from January 2011 to December 2022 in the southeastern Tibet Plateau.
Results The results show the root mean squares reduction is -1.3%⁃22%,-1.4%⁃17.4%, and -0.1%⁃1.3%, with a mean value of 8.7%, 6.7% and 0.6% for all stations after removing the hydrological, atmospheric, and nontidal ocean loading deformation from the GNSS vertical coordinate time series, respectively. The hydrological loading has a greater impact in the west side of Xianshuihe-Anninghe-Zemuhe fault zone, and the atmospheric load has a greater impact in east side of this fault zone. The optimal noise model at all stations was mainly represented by PL, a combination of WN, PL, and FN before and after environmental loading correction. The value of velocity and its uncertainty before and after environmental loading correction based on optimal noise model vary from -0.11⁃0.26 mm/a and from -0.33⁃0.16 mm/a. We analyze the stability of GNSS stations through the linear relationship between GNSS vertical velocity uncertainty and elevation, average annual rainfall, longitude, latitude. The results of correlations coefficient are 0.08, 0.07, 0.11, and 0.25, respectively, implying the average annual rainfall, elevation, longitude, and latitude have little impact on station stability in the southeastern Tibet Plateau.
Conclusions This research suggest that the optimal noise model at most stations in the southeastern Tibet Plateau is PL. The results provide a reference for subsequent reasonable acquisition of GNSS velocity and its uncertainy in the southeastern Tibet Plateau.