Signature of atmospheric oscillations in GPS-measured tropospheric delay

Ground-based GPS finds potential applications in many atmospheric studies such as spatial distribution of columnar water vapor as well as the tidal oscillations in the atmosphere. The zenith tropospheric delay (ZTD) derived from GPS data at two Indian IGS stations are used to establish its potential for studying the atmospheric tidal, intra-seasonal and planetary oscillations. The major tidal oscillations observed in ZTD data are diurnal, semi-diurnal and their harmonics. Prominent intra-seasonal oscillations observed in ZTD are reported for the first time in this context. These intra-seasonal oscillations are Madden–Julian Oscillation (30–70 days, 60–90 days, 100–120 days) and planetary waves (like 27, 16 and 5–10 days periodicities). Quantification of these periodicities will provide a useful handle to improve the empirical models employed in the estimation of tropospheric delay.