Temporal–Spatial Surface Seasonal Mass Changes and Vertical Crustal Deformation in South China Block from GPS and GRACE Measurements

The solid Earth deforms elastically in response to variations of surface atmosphere, hydrology, and ice/glacier mass loads. Continuous geodetic observations by Global Positioning System (CGPS) stations and Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) record such deformations to estimate seasonal and secular mass changes. In this paper, we present the seasonal variation of the surface mass changes and the crustal vertical deformation in the South China Block (SCB) identified by GPS and GRACE observations with records spanning from 1999 to 2016. We used 33 CGPS stations to construct a time series of coordinate changes, which are decomposed by empirical orthogonal functions (EOFs) in SCB. The average weighted root-mean-square (WRMS) reduction is 38% when we subtract GRACE-modeled vertical displacements from GPS time series. The first common mode shows clear seasonal changes, indicating seasonal surface mass re-distribution in and around the South China Block. The correlation between GRACE and GPS time series is analyzed which provides a reference for further improvement of the seasonal variation of CGPS time series. The results of the GRACE observations inversion are the surface deformations caused by the surface mass change load at a rate of about −0.4 to −0.8 mm/year, which is used to improve the long-term trend of non-tectonic loads of the GPS vertical velocity field to further explain the crustal tectonic movement in the SCB and surroundings.