Error sought & found: State-of-the-art measurement technique optimised
Thursday, May 23, 2013 - 10:00
in Earth & Climate
A systematic error has been eliminated from a measurement technique for analysing the physical properties of the Earth's atmosphere using signals from GPS satellites – thanks to an Austrian Science Fund FWF project. As part of this project, the radio occultation technique, which is based on phase shifts in GPS signals, was systematically tested for error sources. A significant error was found through a day-night comparison of measurement data recorded over a ten-year period. The findings have now been published along with a correction proposal. This will make it possible to attain greater accuracy using this method, which is set to become the future gold standard of sensing techniques used in climate research.