Time evolution of the terrestrial reference frame

Abstract

This paper investigates the time evolution of the terrestrial reference frame (TRF). We analysed time series of site positions and datum parameters obtained from VLBI, SLR, GPS and DORIS solutions with respect to non-linear motions (e.g. jumps, seasonal signals) and systematic differences. The time series of the translation and scale parameters were used to identify solution- and technique-related problems, and to investigate the contribution of the different techniques to realise the TRF origin and scale. The position time series reveal non-linear motions and jumps for many sites, which have to be considered for future TRF realisations.