From Wikipedia: Rotation in Angular Velocity of Earth
Earth's rotation is slowing slightly with time; thus, a day was shorter in the past. This is due to the tidal effects the Moon has on Earth's rotation. Atomic clocks show that a modern day is longer by about 1.7 milliseconds than a century ago.
GPS satellites have atomic clocks on board to keep accurate time. General and Special Relativity however predict that differences will appear between these clocks and an identical clock on Earth.
General Relativity predicts that time will appear to run slower under stronger gravitational pull – the clocks on board the satellites will therefore seem to run faster than a clock on Earth.
Furthermore, Special Relativity predicts that because the satellites’ clocks are moving relative to a clock on Earth, they will appear to run slower.
My question is, using a GPS receiver, and allowing for the accuracy of the timing systems involved, is there a method of detecting this reduction in the angular velocity of the Earth over a short, (weeks or months?) timescale?
I do realise that this velocity detection facility is not built into a standard GPS receiver, but completely ignoring engineering details and concentrating purely on the physics of timing events, can in principle alone, GPS receivers detect this reduction in Earth's rotational velocity, due to the accurate timing mechanisms underlying their operation?
Finally, without any modification to a standard GPS, can anybody think of how I could achieving this, by using, say a well defined ground location on Earth and how would this be reflected on a standard GPS, e.g.? I know it will make my location inaccurate but what other effects may occur?
