Raw GPS data from sites on the Totten Glacier, 2016-2019

Full description

This metadata record pertains to raw dual-frequency geodetic quality Global Positioning System (GPS) data from six sites deployed on the surface of the Totten Glacier between approximately late 2016 and early 2019. The data captures the three-dimensional motion/trajectory of the glacier over a period of approximately 2 years. The processed GPS data is covered in a separate metadata record.
Site description:
•    At each site, aluminium towers were erected on the glacier surface – these towers housed a GPS antenna connected to GPS receiver, batteries and solar panel. The approximate height of the GPS antenna was ~3 m above the snow surface at the time of deployment. The GPS receivers to logged data to all GPS satellites in view at a data rate of 1 observation every 15 seconds.
•    The sites were revisited at the midpoint of the project during the 2017/18 austral summer field season. Given the expect large snow accumulation rate in the region of the deployment, the aluminium towers were extended to elevate the antenna ~3 m above the snow surface at that time.
Data description:
•    Raw GPS data files are provided as compressed (gzipped) files in the well-known Receiver Independent Exchange (RINEX) format (version 2.11). RINEX is ascii human readable after the files have been uncompressed.
•    Each file is site specific and spans up to 24 hours of data (00:00:00 to 23:59:59 UTC) at 15 second sampling rate.
•    File name format is: SSSSDDD0.YYo.gz where:
o     SSSS = 4 character site code referring to the six sites, TG01 to TG06
o    DDD = 3 character day of year
o    YY = 2 character year
o    o = RINEX observation file
o    gz = gzipped extension.
•    Trimble NETR9 receivers and Trimble TRM57971.00 antennas were used. Receiver and antenna serial numbers and receiver firmware versions are provided in the header of each file.
•    The observables in each file include L1 and L2 carrier phase observations, C1, C2 and P2 pseudorange observations and S1 and S2 signal to noise ratios. Each observation type is provided at 15 second epochs.

Totten Glacier, East Antarctica

Site, Latitude, Longitude (GRS80)
TG01 -67.3332728032 114.0188490931
TG02 -67.2342527446 114.4687645468
TG03 -67.4487717982 113.5865851863
TG04 -67.4081289450 114.1060925834
TG05 -67.3324797159 114.3542944081
TG06 -67.5435154338 113.6953105206

Lineage

Progress Code: completed

Statement: All sites have expected gaps over winter as they were solar powered. The receiver at TG03 failed after an initial ~7 days of data collection at the start of the record, hence there is a 1 year gap until the site was restarted during the 2017/18 site visit. There were no specific problems with processing of the data.