Seasonal vertical crustal motions in China detected by GPS

By analyzing daily continuous data of Chinese Global Positioning System (GPS) fiducial network with 25 sites from 1999 to 2001, seasonal altitude variations with amplitude of 3-10 mm are detected. Most part of the variations can be explained by the seasonal vertical crustal movements caused by atmospheric pressure variation and mass loading redistribution of non-tidal ocean loading, snow, and soil moisture. Nevertheless, there exists a systematic discrepancy between GPS deduced result and the counterpart predicted by combining various geophysical sources. Much longer time series of GPS site coordinates and further studies are still needed to give out a reasonable interpretation for this discrepancy.