Analysis of different tropospheric models considering different regions

• Grant number: 18/21549-4
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships abroad - Research Internship - Scientific Initiation
• Effective date (Start): December 08, 2018
• Effective date (End): March 08, 2019
• Field of knowledge: Physical Sciences and Mathematics - Geosciences - Geodesy
• Principal Investigator: Daniele Barroca Marra Alves
• Grantee: Thainara Munhoz Alexandre de Lima
• Supervisor: Marcelo Carvalho dos Santos
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia (FCT). Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP). Campus de Presidente Prudente. Presidente Prudente , SP, Brazil
• Research place: University of New Brunswick, Fredericton (UNB Fredericton), Canada
• Associated to the scholarship: 17/11873-6 - Tropospheric modeling: study and analysis of different models, BP.IC

Abstract

With the passing of the years the need to perform positioning with high accuracy has grown. In this sense, space technologies have been widely used. Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) have revolutionized activities involving geodetic positioning. In order to achieve the desired accuracy, it is essential to model the atmosphere (ionosphere and troposphere) in an appropriate way. Concerning the troposphere, although empirical models exist (Saastamoinen and Hopfield for example) they may not be appropriate for the Brazilian reality, especially when high accurate results are required. This is due to the tropospheric peculiarities that exist in the country, which have extremely dry regions, but also regions that are humid throughout the year, such as the region of the Amazon rainforest. To minimize this limitation, Numerical Weather Prediction (NWP) models emerge, which allow the assessment of the delay from local atmospheric parameters. In Brazil, the Center for Weather Forecasting and Climate Studies/National Institute of Space Research (CPTEC/INPE) operationally generates forecasts of the tropospheric delay values for all South America and adjacent oceans, available online. So far, in the scientific Initiation research, the main objective is to investigate, implement and analyze different tropospheric models for different regions of the country. In order to better analyze the influence that the meteorological parameters have on the tropospheric delay, the BEPE research aims to compare and analyze the behavior of tropospheric delay in regions with climatic characteristics opposed to the Brazilian reality, like Canada, including different tropospheric models. (AU)