Application of Space Techniques to Geodesy and Geodynamics in Japan

Abstract

VLBI, SLR, and GPS have been introduced and used to study geodesy and geodynamics in Japan as well as elsewhere in the world. The present article briefly overviews Japanese recent activities concerning the applications of these techniques. VLBI and SLR have been used mainly in international experiments such as the Monitor Earth Rotation and Intercompare Techniques (MERIT) campaign and the Crustal Dynamics Project (CDP). These projects have succeeded in determining the relative plate motions around the Japanese Islands. GPS, on the other hand, has been used mostly to monitor local crustal deformations for earthquake prediction research. The combination of these techniques may lead us to a unified view of crustal deformation and the dynamics of the upper mantle.