PBO H2O: Using EarthScope GPS Data to Generate Water Cycle Products

University Of Colorado At Boulder, Boulder CO

Investigators

Abstract

The EarthScope Plate Boundary Observatory (PBO) is the largest GPS network for scientific studies in the United States. Its hallmarks are high-quality instrumentation, an open data policy, and easily accessible positioning products for crustal deformation studies. Recently it has been shown that many PBO sites also provide valuable information about land surface conditions surrounding each GPS antenna. Data from these GPS sites are being used to monitor fluctuations in three critical hydrologic variables: soil moisture, snow depth/snow water equivalent, and biomass. Water cycle products derived from GPS sites are unique because the method is sensitive to the 10,000 m2 area around each PBO antenna. This fills a critical gap between typical in situ sensors (100 cm2) and satellite measurements (100 km2). These data are important for climate studies, water management, and weather forecasting, thus improving, and possibly mitigating, natural hazards such as floods and droughts while improving agricultural production. Improvements in these research areas are directly linked to the U.S. economy and public safety. GPS water cycle products and error assessments are being generated on a daily basis and made available to the public. Ancillary meteorological data (temperature, precipitation) and other remotely sensed environmental datasets are provided for each PBO site in order to enhance scientific analysis. This research is interdisciplinary and strengthens connections between the GPS and traditional water cycle scientific communities. All products developed from this research are available to the public through UNAVCO (http://pbo.unavco.org). Online data tools allow the public to both access and visualize the water cycle products. The techniques and standards developed for this project are being made broadly available, thus expanding water cycle studies to other GPS networks in the United States and abroad.