Description: This brochure is designed for scientists and engineers of upcoming drilling projects and explains the key steps and important challenges in planning and executing continental scientific drilling.

Description: During the ARK XXV 1+2 expedition in the Arctic Ocean carried out in June–July 2010 aboard the R/V Polarstern, we measured carbon monoxide (CO), non-methane hydrocarbons (NMHC) and phytoplankton pigments at the sea surface and down to a depth 5 of 100m. The CO and NMHC sea-surface concentrations were highly variable; CO, propene and isoprene levels ranged from 0.6 to 17.5 nmol l−1, 1 to 322 pmol l−1 and 1 to 541 pmol l−1, respectively. The CO and alkene concentrations were enhanced in polar waters off of Greenland, which were more stratified because of ice melting and richer in chromophoric dissolved organic matter (CDOM) than typical North Atlantic 10 waters. The spatial distribution of the surface concentrations of CO was consistent with our current understanding of CO-induced UV photo-production in the sea. The vertical distributions of the CO and alkenes followed the trend of light penetration, with the concentrations displaying a relatively regular exponential decrease down to nonmeasurable values below 50 m. However, no diurnal variations of CO or alkene con15 centrations were observed in the stratified and irradiated surface layers. This finding suggests that the production and removal processes of CO and alkenes were tightly coupled. We tentatively determined a first-order rate constant for the microbial consumption of CO of 0.5 d−1, which is in agreement with previous studies. On several occasions, we observed the existence of subsurface CO maxima at the level of the 20 deep chlorophyll maximum. This finding represents field evidence for the existence of a non-photochemical CO production pathway, most likely of phytoplanktonic origin. The corresponding production rates normalized to the chlorophyll content were in the range of those estimated from laboratory experiments. In general, the vertical distributions of isoprene followed that of the phytoplankton biomass. Hence, oceanic data support the 25 existence of biological production of CO and isoprene in the Arctic Ocean

Description: The Global Geodetic Reference Frame (GGRF) plays a fundamental role in geodesy and related Positioning, Navigation, and Timing applications, and allows to quantify the Earth’s change in space and time. The ITRF and ICRF are the two most important components to realize GGRF, while the determination of these two reference frames relies on the combination of several space geodetic techniques, mainly, VLBI, SLR, GNSS, and DORIS. The combination is currently done on either the parameter level, or the normal equation level. However, the combination on the observation level, or the so-called integrated processing of multi-technique on the observation level, provides the results of best consistency, robustness, and accuracy. This thesis focuses on the investigation of the integrated processing of GNSS and VLBI on the observation level. The benefits of integrated processing are demonstrated in terms of TRF, CRF, and EOP, while the impact of global ties (EOP), tropospheric ties, and local ties are underlined. Several issues in integrated processing are addressed, including the systematic bias in ties (for instance, LOD and tropospheric ties), the relative weighting. An automatic reweighting strategy based on the normalized residuals is developed, which can properly handle the uncertainty of the ties without losing too much constraint. A software with state-of-the-art modules is the prerequisite to perform integrated processing. Based on the GNSS data processing software: Positioning And Navigation Data Analyst (PANDA), the VLBI and SLR modules are implemented in the common least-squares estimator. Therefore, the best consistency can be guaranteed. The software capability is demonstrated with the single-technique solutions. The station coordinate precision is at millimeter level for both GNSS and VLBI, while the EOP estimates are comparable to other Analysis Centers and the IERS products. It is also demonstrated that the SLR station coordinate precision is improved by 20% to 30% with additional GLONASS and GRACE satellites to contributing to the LAGEOS and ETALON constellation. Focusing on the tropospheric ties in GNSS and VLBI integrated processing, its contribution is demonstrated for the first time comprehensively. Applying tropospheric ties improves the VLBI station coordinate precision by 12% on the horizontal components and up to 30% on the vertical component. The network scale repeatability is reduced by up to 33%. The EOP estimates are also improved significantly, for instance, 10% to 30% for polar motion, and up to 10% for other components. Furthermore, applying the gradient ties in the VLBI intensive sessions reduces the systematic bias in UT1-UTC estimates. The consistent TRF, CRF, and EOP are achieved in the integrated VLBI and GNSS solution. Applying the global ties, tropospheric ties, and local ties stables the reference frame. The ERP estimates in the integrated solution are dominated by the GNSS technique, and the VLBI technique introduces additional 10% improvement on the y-pole component in terms of the day-boundary-discontinuity. The UT1-UTC and celestial pole offsets are also slightly improved in the integrated solution. It is also demonstrated that applying the LTs inappropriately distorts the network and introduces systematic biases to the ERP estimates, addressing the necessity of updating the local surveys. Moreover, the coordinates of AGN are also enhanced by up to 20% in the integrated solutions, especially the southern ones. This study reveals the importance of integrated processing of multi-technique on the observation level, as the best consistency can be achieved, and the applied ties improve the solutions significantly. It is strongly recommended that for the future realization of celestial and terrestrial reference frames, the concept of integrated processing on the observation level should be implemented, and all the possible ties should be applied, including the global ties (EOP), local ties, space ties, and tropospheric ties. Such kind of integrated solution of all the four techniques can provide robust estimates of the reference frames and EOP, with the advantage of each technique exploited to its full extend.

Description: Der Globale Geodätische Referenzrahmen (Global Geodetic Reference Frame, GGRF) spielt eine fundamentale Rolle in der Geodäsie und den damit verbundenen Positionierungs-, Navigations- und Zeitmessungsanwendungen (Positioning, Navigation, and Timing, PNT) und ermöglicht die Quantifizierung der Veränderung der Erde in Raum und Zeit. Der ITRF und der ICRF sind die beiden wichtigsten Komponenten zur Realisierung des GGRF, wobei die Bestimmung dieser beiden Referenzrahmen auf der Kombination verschiedener raumgeodätischer Techniken beruht, hauptsächlich VLBI, SLR, GNSS und DORIS. Die Kombination wird derzeit entweder auf der Parameterebene oder auf der Normalgleichungsebene durchgeführt. Die Kombination auf der Beobachtungsebene oder die sogenannte integrierte Daten-Verarbeitung von Multi-Techniken auf der Beobachtungsebene, bietet jedoch eine Lösung mit der besten Konsistenz, Robustheit und Genauigkeit. Diese Arbeit konzentriert sich auf die Untersuchung der integrierten Daten-Verarbeitung von GNSS und VLBI auf der Beobachtungsebene. Die Vorteile der integrierten Lösung werden in Bezug auf TRF, CRF, und EOP aufgezeigt, während die Auswirkungen von „Global Ties (EOP), Tropospheric Ties, and Local Ties“ hervorgehoben werden. Einige Punkte der integrierten Verarbeitung werden in dieser Arbeit untersucht, einschließlich der systematischen Abweichungen von „Ties“ (z.B. LOD und Tropospheric Ties), der relativen Gewichtung usw. Anhand der normalisierten Residuen wird eine automatische Umgewichtungsstrategie entwickelt, mit der die Unsicherheit der „Ties“ angemessen behandelt werden kann, ohne dass zu viel Einschränkung dabei verloren geht. Eine Software mit modernsten Modulen ist die Voraussetzung für die integrierte Daten Verarbeitung. Basierend auf der GNSS-Datenverarbeitungssoftware Paket: Positioning And Navigation Data Analyst (PANDA) werden die Module VLBI und SLR in demselben Least-Squares-Estimator wie GNSS implementiert, damit kann man die beste Konsistenz in der Datenverarbeitung erreichen. In dieser Arbeit wird die Leistungsfähigkeit der Software mit den Ein-Technik-Lösungen demonstriert. Die Genauigkeit der Stationskoordinaten liegt sowohl für GNSS als auch für VLBI im Millimeterbereich, und die geschätzten EOP-Parameter sind auch mit der anderer Analysezentren und den IERS-Produkten vergleichbar. Es wird auch gezeigt, dass die Koordinatengenauigkeit der SLR-Station um 20-30% verbessert wird, wenn zusätzliche GLONASS- und GRACE-Satelliten zur LAGEOS und ETALON-Konstellation beitragen. Mit dem Schwerpunkt auf den „Tropospheric Ties“ in der integrierten GNSS- und VLBI- Daten Verarbeitung wird ihr Beitrag zum ersten Mal umfassend dargestellt. Die Anwendung der „Tropospheric Ties“ verbessert die Genauigkeit der VLBI-Koordinaten um 12% bei der horizontalen Komponente und bis zu 30% bei der vertikalen Komponente. Die Genauigkeit im Netzwerkmaßstab wird um bis zu 33% verbessert. Auch die EOP-Bestimmungen werden deutlich verbessert, z.B. um 10-30% bei polaren Bewegungen und bis zu 10% bei anderen Komponenten. Darüber hinaus reduziert die Einführung der „Gradient Ties“ in der VLBI-Intensivsession die systematische Abweichung in den dUT1-Bestimmungen. Die konsistente TRF, CRF, und EOP werden bei der integrierten VLBI- und GNSS-Lösung erreicht. Die Anwendung der „Global Ties, Tropospheric Ties and Local Ties“ stabilisiert die Bestimmungen des Referenzrahmens. Die ERP-Bestimmungen in der integrierten Lösung werden von der GNSS-Technik dominiert, und die VLBI-Technik bringt eine zusätzliche Verbesserung um 10% auf die Tagesgrenzen-Diskontinuität (day-boundary-discontinuity, DBD) für die y-Pol-Komponente. Die dUT1- und CPO werden in der integrierten Lösung ebenfalls leicht verbessert. Es wird auch gezeigt, dass eine ungeeignete Anwendung der LTs das Netzwerk verzerrt und systematische Abweichungen in die ERP-Bestimmungen einführt, wodurch die Notwendigkeit einer Aktualisierung der lokalen Tie Messungen deutlich wird. Darüber hinaus werden die Koordinaten der AGN in den integrierten Lösungen um bis zu 20% verbessert, insbesondere im Süden. Diese Arbeit zeigt die Bedeutung der integrierten Daten Verarbeitung von Multi-Technik auf der Beobachtungsebene, da die beste Konsistenz erreicht werden kann und die angewandten „Ties“ die Lösungen erheblich verbessern. Es wird nachdrücklich empfohlen, für die zukünftige Realisierung von himmelsfesten und erdfesten Referenzrahmen das Konzept der integrierten Verarbeitung auf Beobachtungsebene durchzuführen und alle möglichen „Ties“ anzuwenden, einschließlich der „Global Ties (EOP), Local Ties, Space Ties, and Tropospheric Ties“. Eine solche integrierte Lösung aller vier Techniken kann die robusten Bestimmungen der Referenzrahmen und der EOP liefern, wobei die Vorteile jeder Technik voll ausgeschöpft werden.

Description: A set of 59 seismological stations was deployed in the Central Andes region at 21°S (Chile-Bolivia) along a profile ~600 km long and were operated between 2002 and 2004. The teleseismic tomographic images (from P- and S- waves) show low-velocity anomalies that are interpreted as the effects of melting or fluids at both flanks of the Altiplano plateau. Beneath the Central Volcanic Zone (CVZ) a low-velocity anomaly is interpreted to be caused by fluids that are the origin of the volcanic material from the CVZ. A low-velocity anomaly in the upper crust is interpreted as the Altiplano Low-Velocity Zone that appears to extend as far to the east as the Eastern Cordillera. A high-velocity body between 100 km and 150 km depth is interpreted as being part of the old cold lithosphere that detached from the base of the crust. The Brazilian Shield is thought to be responsible for the strong high-velocity anomaly on the eastern side of the Central Andes. In addition, another set of 19 stations was deployed in the southern Argentine Puna along a profile ~200 km long and were run over the same period of time (2002-2004). The intention was to study the crustal thickness at 25.5°S, where delamination of the lithosphere was proposed to explain the higher elevation of the Puna plateau. Beneath the plateau a negative velocity anomaly is observed and interpreted here as being the location of fluid transfer between the deeper and shallower portions of the crust, that emanate from the Benioff zone at depths of ~200 km. This anomaly clearly divides in two branches: one to the west towards the volcanic arc (CVZ) and the other to the east where the back-arc volcanoes are located. On their way to lower depths, the fluid paths are probably influenced by the presence of nearby isotherms. The bifurcation of the ascending path could be related to the presence of the lithosphere-asthenosphere boundary (LAB) at ~100-130 km. Based on our observations, the type and form of the anomaly, it is possible to propose the presence of a return-flow type model for fluid ascent in contraposition to the assumed corner-flow model usually proposed for the Andes. The fluids that cause the seismic anomalies beneath the Puna plateau are generated at deeper levels in the asthenosphere and ascend parallel to the oceanic slab in the manner of a return-flow. In the crust and beneath the Salar de Antofalla (SA), a high-velocity block with seismic activity is interpreted as part of the old and cold Palaeozoic magmatic arc (Faja Eruptiva de la Puna Occidental). The presence of this block is may be responsible for the distribution of volcanic activity localized at both sides of this anomaly. Eastern of the SA, it is possible to recognize a zone with low-velocities beneath the Galan volcano. A sharp limit imposed by high velocities, probably related to metamorphic rocks from the Paleozoic basement (Tacuil and Luracatao ranges) can be detected on the east of the profile. A high-velocity block with seismic activity is located in the crust beneath the Salar de Antofalla (SA) and interpreted as part of the old and cold Palaeozoic magmatic arc (Faja Eruptiva de la Puna Occidental). This block might be responsible for the distribution of volcanic activity localized at both sides of this anomaly. Beneath the Galan volcano and east of the SA, a zone with low-velocities can be recognized. A sharp limit towards high-velocities can be observed on the east of the profile, probably related to metamorphic rocks from the Palaeozoic basement (Tacuil and Luracatao ranges).

Description: This study focuses on tectonics at the Neogene and late Quaternary time scales in the Main Cordillera and coastal forearc of the south-central Andes. For both domains I document the existence of previously unrecognized active faults and present estimates of deformation rates and fault kinematics. Furthermore these data are correlated to address fundamental mountain building processes like strain partitioning and largescale segmentation.