The expanding Earth at present: evidence from temporal gravity field and space-geodetic data
<p>The Earth expansion problem has attracted great interest, and the present study demonstrates that the Earth has been expanding, at least over the recent several decades. Space-geodetic data recorded at stations distributed globally were used (including global positioning system data...
Main Authors: | , , , , , , |
---|---|
Format: | Article |
Language: | English |
Published: |
Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia (INGV)
2011-08-01
|
Series: | Annals of Geophysics |
Subjects: | |
Online Access: | http://www.annalsofgeophysics.eu/index.php/annals/article/view/4951 |
id |
doaj-4224408fa28040058fca83f9a82b7766 |
---|---|
record_format |
Article |
spelling |
doaj-4224408fa28040058fca83f9a82b77662020-11-25T01:41:23ZengIstituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia (INGV)Annals of Geophysics1593-52132037-416X2011-08-0154410.4401/ag-4951The expanding Earth at present: evidence from temporal gravity field and space-geodetic dataJiancheng HanJin LiZhenguo ZhangWei ChenRong SunWen-Bin ShenHao Ding<p>The Earth expansion problem has attracted great interest, and the present study demonstrates that the Earth has been expanding, at least over the recent several decades. Space-geodetic data recorded at stations distributed globally were used (including global positioning system data, very-long-baseline interferometry, satellite laser ranging stations, and stations for Doppler orbitography and radiopositioning integrated by satellite), which covered a period of more than 10 years in the International Terrestrial Reference Frame 2008. A triangular network covering the surface of the Earth was thus constructed based on the spherical Delaunay approach, and average-weighted vertical variations in the Earth surface were estimated. Calculations show that the Earth is expanding at present at a rate of 0.24 ± 0.04 mm/yr. Furthermore, based on the Earth Gravitational Model 2008 and the secular variation rates of the second-degree coefficients estimated by satellite laser ranging and Earth mean-pole data, the principal inertia moments of the Earth (A, B, C) and in particular their temporal variations, were determined: the simple mean value of the three principal inertia moments (i.e., [A+B+C]/3) is gradually increasing. This clearly demonstrates that the Earth has been expanding, at least over the recent decades, and the data show that the Earth is expanding at a rate ranging from 0.17 ± 0.02 mm/yr to 0.21 ± 0.02 mm/yr, which coincides with the space geodetic evidence. Hence, based on both space geodetic observations and gravimetric data, we conclude that the Earth has been expanding at a rate of about 0.2 mm/yr over recent decades.</p>http://www.annalsofgeophysics.eu/index.php/annals/article/view/4951station coordinates and vertical velocitiestemporal gravity variationprincipal inertia momentsEarth expansion |
collection |
DOAJ |
language |
English |
format |
Article |
sources |
DOAJ |
author |
Jiancheng Han Jin Li Zhenguo Zhang Wei Chen Rong Sun Wen-Bin Shen Hao Ding |
spellingShingle |
Jiancheng Han Jin Li Zhenguo Zhang Wei Chen Rong Sun Wen-Bin Shen Hao Ding The expanding Earth at present: evidence from temporal gravity field and space-geodetic data Annals of Geophysics station coordinates and vertical velocities temporal gravity variation principal inertia moments Earth expansion |
author_facet |
Jiancheng Han Jin Li Zhenguo Zhang Wei Chen Rong Sun Wen-Bin Shen Hao Ding |
author_sort |
Jiancheng Han |
title |
The expanding Earth at present: evidence from temporal gravity field and space-geodetic data |
title_short |
The expanding Earth at present: evidence from temporal gravity field and space-geodetic data |
title_full |
The expanding Earth at present: evidence from temporal gravity field and space-geodetic data |
title_fullStr |
The expanding Earth at present: evidence from temporal gravity field and space-geodetic data |
title_full_unstemmed |
The expanding Earth at present: evidence from temporal gravity field and space-geodetic data |
title_sort |
expanding earth at present: evidence from temporal gravity field and space-geodetic data |
publisher |
Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia (INGV) |
series |
Annals of Geophysics |
issn |
1593-5213 2037-416X |
publishDate |
2011-08-01 |
description |
<p>The Earth expansion problem has attracted great interest, and the present study demonstrates that the Earth has been expanding, at least over the recent several decades. Space-geodetic data recorded at stations distributed globally were used (including global positioning system data, very-long-baseline interferometry, satellite laser ranging stations, and stations for Doppler orbitography and radiopositioning integrated by satellite), which covered a period of more than 10 years in the International Terrestrial Reference Frame 2008. A triangular network covering the surface of the Earth was thus constructed based on the spherical Delaunay approach, and average-weighted vertical variations in the Earth surface were estimated. Calculations show that the Earth is expanding at present at a rate of 0.24 ± 0.04 mm/yr. Furthermore, based on the Earth Gravitational Model 2008 and the secular variation rates of the second-degree coefficients estimated by satellite laser ranging and Earth mean-pole data, the principal inertia moments of the Earth (A, B, C) and in particular their temporal variations, were determined: the simple mean value of the three principal inertia moments (i.e., [A+B+C]/3) is gradually increasing. This clearly demonstrates that the Earth has been expanding, at least over the recent decades, and the data show that the Earth is expanding at a rate ranging from 0.17 ± 0.02 mm/yr to 0.21 ± 0.02 mm/yr, which coincides with the space geodetic evidence. Hence, based on both space geodetic observations and gravimetric data, we conclude that the Earth has been expanding at a rate of about 0.2 mm/yr over recent decades.</p> |
topic |
station coordinates and vertical velocities temporal gravity variation principal inertia moments Earth expansion |
url |
http://www.annalsofgeophysics.eu/index.php/annals/article/view/4951 |
work_keys_str_mv |
AT jianchenghan theexpandingearthatpresentevidencefromtemporalgravityfieldandspacegeodeticdata AT jinli theexpandingearthatpresentevidencefromtemporalgravityfieldandspacegeodeticdata AT zhenguozhang theexpandingearthatpresentevidencefromtemporalgravityfieldandspacegeodeticdata AT weichen theexpandingearthatpresentevidencefromtemporalgravityfieldandspacegeodeticdata AT rongsun theexpandingearthatpresentevidencefromtemporalgravityfieldandspacegeodeticdata AT wenbinshen theexpandingearthatpresentevidencefromtemporalgravityfieldandspacegeodeticdata AT haoding theexpandingearthatpresentevidencefromtemporalgravityfieldandspacegeodeticdata AT jianchenghan expandingearthatpresentevidencefromtemporalgravityfieldandspacegeodeticdata AT jinli expandingearthatpresentevidencefromtemporalgravityfieldandspacegeodeticdata AT zhenguozhang expandingearthatpresentevidencefromtemporalgravityfieldandspacegeodeticdata AT weichen expandingearthatpresentevidencefromtemporalgravityfieldandspacegeodeticdata AT rongsun expandingearthatpresentevidencefromtemporalgravityfieldandspacegeodeticdata AT wenbinshen expandingearthatpresentevidencefromtemporalgravityfieldandspacegeodeticdata AT haoding expandingearthatpresentevidencefromtemporalgravityfieldandspacegeodeticdata |
_version_ |
1725040996437196800 |