GPS tripod used in geodedic surveys of eastern Virginia
Detailed Description
USGS scientist Jim Duda sets up a GPS tripod in preparation for a geodetic survey on Virginia's Eastern Shore.
Geodetic Surveying is the measurement of land surface location and elevation. USGS scientists use optical leveling equipment and highly accurate Global Positioning System (GPS) tripods to measure elevation. The GPS tripods record data over the course of many days during a survey to ensure maximum accuracy. By surveying the same benchmarks year after year, we can track changes in surface elevation as land elevation changes.
Sources/Usage
Public Domain.
Related Content
Land Subsidence on the Virginia Coastal Plain
Land subsidence is a loss of ground elevation, often experienced as the ground slowly sinking over the course of years. In eastern Virginia, high rates of groundwater use is a major factor in the land subsidence affecting the area. The Virginia-West Virginia Water Science Center, with the help of our partners, has been monitoring land subsidence in the Virginia Coastal Plain since 1979 using a...
New Crowd Sourcing Will Contribute to Study of Land Subsidence and Sea-Level Rise in the Chesapeake Bay
Issue: Chesapeake Bay region has the highest rate of relative sea-level rise on the Atlantic Coast of the United States. Scientists use the term relative sea-level rise to describe the change in ocean height relative to changes in land elevation. Data indicate that vertical land motion in the form of subsidence has been responsible for more than half the relative sea-level rise measured in the...
Hampton Roads Benchmark Monitoring Network
The southern Chesapeake Bay region is experiencing land subsidence along with rising sea levels, both of which can contribute to coastal flooding. The rates at which these two processes are occurring are not exactly known. Mapping of land elevation change requires ground-truth survey data at multiple locations that are accurate and precise. With the exception of a few CORS sites that have...
Related Content
Land Subsidence on the Virginia Coastal Plain
Land subsidence is a loss of ground elevation, often experienced as the ground slowly sinking over the course of years. In eastern Virginia, high rates of groundwater use is a major factor in the land subsidence affecting the area. The Virginia-West Virginia Water Science Center, with the help of our partners, has been monitoring land subsidence in the Virginia Coastal Plain since 1979 using a...
New Crowd Sourcing Will Contribute to Study of Land Subsidence and Sea-Level Rise in the Chesapeake Bay
Issue: Chesapeake Bay region has the highest rate of relative sea-level rise on the Atlantic Coast of the United States. Scientists use the term relative sea-level rise to describe the change in ocean height relative to changes in land elevation. Data indicate that vertical land motion in the form of subsidence has been responsible for more than half the relative sea-level rise measured in the...
Hampton Roads Benchmark Monitoring Network
The southern Chesapeake Bay region is experiencing land subsidence along with rising sea levels, both of which can contribute to coastal flooding. The rates at which these two processes are occurring are not exactly known. Mapping of land elevation change requires ground-truth survey data at multiple locations that are accurate and precise. With the exception of a few CORS sites that have...