GEODESY, CARTOGRAPHY AND AERIAL PHOTOGRAPHY

The aim of this work is to evaluate the accuracy of determining the wet component of zenith tropospheric delay (ZTD) from GNSS-measurements and the accuracy of determining the hydrostatic component according to the Saastamoinen model in comparison with the radio sounding data as well. Zenith tropospheric delay is determined mainly by two methods - traditional, using radio sounding or using atmospheric models, such as the Saastamoinen model, and the method of GNSS measurements. Determination of the hydrostatic component of the zenith tropospheric delay was performed by radio sounding data obtained at the aerological station Praha-Libus in 2011-2013 and in 2018. Data were processed for the middle decades of January and July of each year at 0h o’clock of the Universal Time. The wet component was calculated from GNSS observations. By a significant number of radio soundings at the Praha-Libus aerological station, hydrostatic and wet components of zenith tropospheric delay (ZTD) and the same number of ZTD values derived for the corresponding time intervals from GNSS measurements at the GOPE reference station were determined. The values of the wet component of ZTD were determined and compared with the corresponding data obtained from radio soundings. We found that the error of the hydrostatic component in winter does not exceed 10 mm in absolute value, and in summer it is approximately 1.5 times smaller. This is due to differences in the stratification of the troposphere and lower stratosphere in winter and summer. As for the wet component of ZTD, its errors do not exceed: in winter 15 mm, in summer – 35 mm. The resulting differences in summer have a negative sign, indicating a systematic shift, and in winter – both negative and positive. Today, there are many studies aimed at improving the accuracy of determining zenith tropospheric delay by both Ukrainian and foreign authors, but the problem of the accuracy of the hydrostatic component remains open. The study provides recommendations for further research to improve the accuracy of zenith tropospheric delay.

Performance Evaluation of High-Resolution Simulations with COSMO over South Italy

This study aims to assess the capabilities of a weather forecasting system based on simulations performed with the COSMO (COnsortium for Small-scale Modeling) model over a domain located in southern Italy, employing a spatial resolution of about 1 km, driven by ECMWF-IFS global data. The model is run daily at the Italian Aerospace Research Center (CIRA), and the evaluation was performed from January to May 2018 using a combination of observational data, specifically data provided by the CIRA meteorological station, wind profiler and ceilometer. Moreover, data provided by radio sounding located at Pratica di Mare and ground stations at two other locations were also used. A model configuration optimized through a tuning procedure over the domain considered was employed, while the evaluation was performed by comparing daily values of several variables and using standard monitoring indices. The results highlight that the model has good capability in reproducing daily values of temperature, while precipitation intensity is generally underestimated, even if rain patterns are well captured (alternating rainy and dry days). Good agreement is also reported for wind speed, especially at 100 and 500 m altitude. Regarding radio sounding data, the COSMO model configuration selected can reproduce the vertical profile of temperature and dew point, with the exception of inversion points. Evaluation against ceilometer data is achieved in terms of cloud height and planetary boundary layer height.