Geodetic and Geophysical Applications of High Precision Astrometry

摘要

High-precision astrometry has a long history of making fundamental contributions to geodesy and geophysics extending centuries into the past, and has provided the foundation for many exciting developments in geophysics in the last several decades. In the 1970s, geodetic Very Long Baseline Interferometry (VLBI) and laser ranging provided the first direct measurement of plate tectonic deformation of the crust. These techniques also have revolutionized the study of Earth rotation by providing sufficient precision to measure climate variability, internal structure, and physical properties. Astrometry will continue to be important in a variety of geophysical problems because of its unique ability to determine Earth orientation relative to a stable celestial frame. Sections discuss the following: astrometric contributions to geodesy, the International Terrestrial Reference Frame, earth orientation changes, improved tidal models, contributions to geophysics, the solid Earth, and the climate.