We determined the improvement in baseline length precision and accurac
y using new atmospheric delay mapping functions (Ifadis (Ifadis, 1986)
and MTT (Herring, 1992a)) by analyzing the NASA Crustal Dynamics Proj
ect research and development (R&D) experiments and the International R
adio Inter-ferometric Surveying (IRIS) A experiments. These mapping fu
nctions reduce baseline length scatter by about 20 % below that using
the CfA2.2 (Davis et al., 1985) dry and Chao (Chao, 1974) wet mapping
functions. With the newer mapping functions, average station vertical
scatter inferred from observed length precision (given by length repea
tabilities) is 11.4 mm for the 1987-1990 monthly R&D series of experim
ents and 5.6 mm for the 3-week-long ERDE series. The inferred monthly
R&D station vertical scatter is reduced by 2 mm or by 7 mm in a root-s
um-square (rss) sense. Length repeatabilities are optimum when observa
tions below a 7-8-degrees elevation cutoff are removed from the geodet
ic solution. Analyses of IRIS-A data from 1984 through 1991 and the mo
nthly R&D experiments both yielded a nonatmospheric unmodeled station
vertical error of about 8 mm. In addition, analysis of the IRIS-A expe
riments revealed systematic effects in the evolution of some baseline
length measurements. The length rate of change has an apparent acceler
ation, and the length evolution has a quasi-annual signature. We show
that the origin of these effects is unlikely to be related to atmosphe
ric modeling errors. Rates of change of the transatlantic Westford-Wet
tzell and Richmond-Wettzell baseline lengths calculated from 1988 thro
ugh 1991 agree with the NUVEL-1 plate motion model (Argus and Gordon,
1991) to within 1 mm/yr. Short-term (less than 90 days) variations of
IRIS-A baseline length measurements contribute more than 90% of the ob
served scatter about a best fit line, and this short-term scatter has
large variations on an annual time scale.