Showing papers on "Geoid published in 2017"

Determination of a high spatial resolution geopotential model using atomic clock comparisons

Abstract: Recent technological advances in optical atomic clocks are opening new perspectives for the direct determination of geopotential differences between any two points at a centimeter-level accuracy in geoid height. However, so far detailed quantitative estimates of the possible improvement in geoid determination when adding such clock measurements to existing data are lacking. We present a first step in that direction with the aim and hope of triggering further work and efforts in this emerging field of chronometric geodesy and geophysics. We specifically focus on evaluating the contribution of this new kind of direct measurements in determining the geopotential at high spatial resolution ( $$\approx $$ 10 km). We studied two test areas, both located in France and corresponding to a middle (Massif Central) and high (Alps) mountainous terrain. These regions are interesting because the gravitational field strength varies greatly from place to place at high spatial resolution due to the complex topography. Our method consists in first generating a synthetic high-resolution geopotential map, then drawing synthetic measurement data (gravimetry and clock data) from it, and finally reconstructing the geopotential map from that data using least squares collocation. The quality of the reconstructed map is then assessed by comparing it to the original one used to generate the data. We show that adding only a few clock data points (less than 1% of the gravimetry data) reduces the bias significantly and improves the standard deviation by a factor 3. The effect of the data coverage and data quality on the results is investigated, and the trade-off between the measurement noise level and the number of data points is discussed.

The Importance of Upper Mantle Heterogeneity in Generating the Indian Ocean Geoid Low

Abstract: One of the most pronounced geoid lows on Earth lies in the Indian Ocean just south of the Indian peninsula. Several theories have been proposed to explain this geoid low, most of which invoke past subduction. Some recent studies have also argued that high-velocity anomalies in the lower mantle coupled with low-velocity anomalies in the upper mantle are responsible for these negative geoid anomalies. However, there is no general consensus regarding the source of this particular anomaly. We investigate the source of this geoid low by using models of density-driven mantle convection. Our study is the first to successfully explain the occurrence of this anomaly using a global convection model driven by present-day density anomalies derived from tomography. We test various tomography models in our flow calculations with different radial and lateral viscosity variations. Some of them produce a fairly high correlation to the global geoid, but only a few (SMEAN2, GyPSuM, SEMUCB, and LLNL-JPS) could match the precise location and pattern of the geoid low in the Indian Ocean. The source of this low stems from a low-density anomaly stretching from a depth of 300 km down to similar to 900 km in the northern Indian Ocean region. This density anomaly potentially originates from material rising along the edge of the African Large Low Shear Velocity Province and moving toward the northeast, facilitated by the movement of the Indian plate in the same direction. Plain Language Summary One of the lowest geoid anomalies on Earth lies in the Indian Ocean just south of the Indian peninsula. Several theories have been proposed to explain this gravity low. Most of these theories try to explain the existence of this anomaly with the help of cold, dense oceanic plate that sank into the mantle in the past and which could potentially be present below the Indian Ocean at depths greater than 1,000 km. However, there is no general consensus regarding the source of this particular negative geoid anomaly. We investigate the source of this low by using models of density-driven mantle convection. Our study finds that the source of this low stems from a low-density anomaly stretching from a depth of 300 km down to similar to 900 km in the northern Indian Ocean region. This density anomaly potentially originates from hot buoyant material rising from deep mantle beneath Africa and moving toward the northeast, facilitated by the movement of the Indian plate in the same direction. Our study is the first to successfully explain the occurrence of this geoid low using present-day density anomalies.

Lithospheric structure in Central Eurasia derived from elevation, geoid anomaly and thermal analysis

Abstract: We present new crustal and lithospheric thickness maps for Central Eurasia from the combination of elevation and geoid anomaly data and thermal analysis. The results are strongly constrained by numerous previous data based on seismological and seismic experiments, tomographic imaging and integrated geophysical studies. Our results indicate that high topography regions are associated with crustal thickening that is at a maximum below the Zagros, Himalaya, Tien Shan and the Tibetan Plateau. The stiffer continental blocks that remain undeformed within the continental collision areas are characterized by a slightly thickened crust and flat topography. Lithospheric thickness and crustal thickness show different patterns that highlight an important strain partitioning within the lithosphere. The Arabia–Eurasia collision zone is characterized by a thick lithosphere underneath the Zagros belt, whereas a thin to non-existent lithospheric mantle is observed beneath the Iranian and Anatolian plateaus. Conversely, the India–Eurasia collision zone is characterized by a very thick lithosphere below its southern part as a consequence of the underplating of the cold and stiff Indian lithosphere. Our new model presents great improvements compared to previous global models available for the region, and allows us to discuss major aspects related to the lithospheric structure and acting geodynamic processes in Central Eurasia.

An Assessment of State-of-the-Art Mean Sea Surface and Geoid Models of the Arctic Ocean: Implications for Sea Ice Freeboard Retrieval

Abstract: State-of-the-art Arctic Ocean mean sea surface (MSS) models and global geoid models (GGMs) are used to support sea ice freeboard estimation from satellite altimeters, as well as in oceanographic studies such as mapping sea level anomalies and mean dynamic ocean topography. However, errors in a given model in the high frequency domain, primarily due to unresolved gravity features, can result in errors in the estimated along-track freeboard. These errors are exacerbated in areas with a sparse lead distribution in consolidated ice pack conditions. Additionally model errors can impact ocean geostrophic currents, derived from satellite altimeter data, while remaining biases in these models may impact longer-term, multi-sensor oceanographic time-series of sea level change in the Arctic. This study focuses on an assessment of five state-of-the-art Arctic MSS models (UCL13/04, DTU15/13/10) and a commonly used GGM (EGM2008). We describe errors due to unresolved gravity features, inter-satellite biases, and remaining satellite orbit errors, and their impact on the derivation of sea ice freeboard. The latest MSS models, incorporating CryoSat-2 sea surface height measurements, show improved definition of gravity features, such as the Gakkel Ridge. The standard deviation between models ranges 0.03-0.25 m. The impact of remaining MSS/GGM errors on freeboard retrieval can reach several decimeters in parts of the Arctic. While the maximum observed freeboard difference found in the central Arctic was 0.59 m (UCL13 MSS minus EGM2008 GGM), the standard deviation in freeboard differences is 0.03-0.06 m.

The coastal mean dynamic topography in Norway observed by CryoSat‐2 and GOCE

Abstract: New-generation synthetic aperture radar altimetry, as implemented on CryoSat-2, observes sea surface heights in coastal areas that were previously not monitored by conventional altimetry. Therefore, CryoSat-2 is expected to improve the coastal mean dynamic topography (MDT). However, the MDT remains highly reliant on the geoid. Using new regional geoid models as well as CryoSat-2 data, we determine three geodetic coastal MDT models in Norway and validate them against independent tide-gauge observations and the operational coastal ocean model NorKyst800. The CryoSat-2 MDTs agree on the ∼3–5 cm level with both tide-gauge geodetic and ocean MDTs along the Norwegian coast. In addition, we compute geostrophic surface currents to help identifying errors in the geoid models. We find that even though the regional geoid models are all based on the latest satellite gravity data as provided by GOCE, the resulting circulation patterns differ. We demonstrate that some of these differences are due to erroneous or lack of marine gravity data. This suggests that there is significant MDT signal at spatial scales beyond GOCE, and that the geodetic approach to MDT determination benefits from the additional terrestrial gravity information provided by a regional geoid model. We also find that the border of the geographical mode mask of CryoSat-2 coincides with the Norwegian Coastal Current, making it challenging to distinguish between artifacts in the CryoSat-2 observations during mode switch and ocean signal.

MMA-EoS: A Computational Framework for Mineralogical Thermodynamics

Abstract: A striking feature of the Indian Ocean is a distinct geoid low south of India, pointing to a regionally anomalous mantle density structure. Equally prominent are rapid plate convergence rate variations between India and SE Asia, particularly in Late Cretaceous/Paleocene times. Both observations are linked to the central Neo‐Tethys Ocean subduction history, for which competing scenarios have been proposed. Here we evaluate three alternative reconstructions by assimilating their associated time‐dependent velocity fields in global high‐resolution geodynamic Earth models, allowing us to predict the resulting seismic mantle heterogeneity and geoid signal. Our analysis reveals that a geoid low similar to the one observed develops naturally when a long‐lived back‐arc basin south of Eurasia's paleomargin is assumed. A quantitative comparison to seismic tomography further supports this model. In contrast, reconstructions assuming a single northward dipping subduction zone along Eurasia's margin or models incorporating a temporary southward dipping intraoceanic subduction zone cannot sufficiently reproduce geoid and seismic observations.

A hot midmantle anomaly in the area of the Indian Ocean Geoid Low

Abstract: We investigate the upper mantle seismic discontinuities at 410 and 660 km depth beneath the Indian Ocean Geoid Low (IOGL). To map the discontinuities’ topography, we use differential travel times of PP and SS waves and their precursors. Our final dataset consists of 37 events with Mw ≥ 5.8, which densely cover our investigation area, also with crossing ray paths. We use array methods to detect the low-amplitude precursor signals. The best quality data show a deepened 410 km discontinuity in the center of the IOGL as well as a mostly elevated 660 km discontinuity beneath the northern Indian Ocean, which we interpret as a hot anomaly currently residing in the mantle transition zone. We conclude that the largest negative geoid anomaly might be caused by a combined effect of hot material in the mid-mantle below the innermost IOGL and cold material below 660 km further south.

Airborne Gravimetry of GEOHALO Mission: Data Processing and Gravity Field Modeling

Abstract: Airborne gravimetry is a crucial method to improve our knowledge about the Earth gravity field, especially in hard-to-access regions. Generally, the accuracy of airborne gravimetry is several milligals, which is suitable for filling the so-called polar gaps in satellite-derived global gravity field models. Here some investigations based on airborne gravity measurements from the GEOHALO mission over Italy are presented. To subtract the vertical accelerations from the values measured by the gravimeter, four different versions of kinematic accelerations were derived from Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) recordings. To remove the high-frequency noise, a low-pass filter with a cutoff wavelength of 200 s was applied to both Chekan-AM measurements and kinematic accelerations from GNSS. To investigate how future airborne gravity campaigns could be designed, a dedicated flight track was repeated two times showing that the equipment worked well also at higher altitude and speed. From the final best results follows an RMS of gravity differences at crossover points of 1.4 mGal, which, according to the law of error propagation, implies the accuracy of a single measurement to be 1.4/2≈1 mGal. To demonstrate how a satellite-only gravity field model can be improved by airborne measurements, a gravity field model for the GEOHALO region has been computed. To compute also an improved regional geoid model, the point mass modeling (PMM) and the remove-compute-restore (RCR) technique, using a recent satellite-only model and residual terrain modeling (RTM), were applied. Finally, GNSS/leveling points have been used to check the quality of the regional point mass model.

The Geoid Slope Validation Survey 2014 and GRAV-D airborne gravity enhanced geoid comparison results in Iowa

Abstract: Three Geoid Slope Validation Surveys were planned by the National Geodetic Survey for validating geoid improvement gained by incorporating airborne gravity data collected by the “Gravity for the Redefinition of the American Vertical Datum” (GRAV-D) project in flat, medium and rough topographic areas, respectively. The first survey GSVS11 over a flat topographic area in Texas confirmed that a 1-cm differential accuracy geoid over baseline lengths between 0.4 and 320 km is achievable with GRAV-D data included (Smith et al. in J Geod 87:885–907, 2013). The second survey, Geoid Slope Validation Survey 2014 (GSVS14) took place in Iowa in an area with moderate topography but significant gravity variation. Two sets of geoidal heights were computed from GPS/leveling data and observed astrogeodetic deflections of the vertical at 204 GSVS14 official marks. They agree with each other at a $${\pm }1.2\,\, \hbox {cm}$$ level, which attests to the high quality of the GSVS14 data. In total, four geoid models were computed. Three models combined the GOCO03/5S satellite gravity model with terrestrial and GRAV-D gravity with different strategies. The fourth model, called xGEOID15A, had no airborne gravity data and served as the benchmark to quantify the contribution of GRAV-D to the geoid improvement. The comparisons show that each model agrees with the GPS/leveling geoid height by 1.5 cm in mark-by-mark comparisons. In differential comparisons, all geoid models have a predicted accuracy of 1–2 cm at baseline lengths from 1.6 to 247 km. The contribution of GRAV-D is not apparent due to a 9-cm slope in the western 50-km section of the traverse for all gravimetric geoid models, and it was determined that the slopes have been caused by a 5 mGal bias in the terrestrial gravity data. If that western 50-km section of the testing line is excluded in the comparisons, then the improvement with GRAV-D is clearly evident. In that case, 1-cm differential accuracy on baselines of any length is achieved with the GRAV-D-enhanced geoid models and exhibits a clear improvement over the geoid models without GRAV-D data. GSVS14 confirmed that the geoid differential accuracies are in the 1–2 cm range at various baseline lengths. The accuracy increases to 1 cm with GRAV-D gravity when the west 50 km line is not included. The data collected by the surveys have high accuracy and have the potential to be used for validation of other geodetic techniques, e.g., the chronometric leveling. To reach the 1-cm height differences of the GSVS data, a clock with frequency accuracy of $$10^{-18}$$ is required. Using the GSVS data, the accuracy of ellipsoidal height differences can also be estimated.

High-resolution regional gravity field recovery from Poisson wavelets using heterogeneous observational techniques

Abstract: We adopt Poisson wavelets for regional gravity field recovery using data acquired from various observational techniques; the method combines data of different spatial resolutions and coverage, and various spectral contents and noise levels. For managing the ill-conditioned system, the performances of the zero- and first-order Tikhonov regularization approaches are investigated. Moreover, a direct approach is proposed to properly combine Global Positioning System (GPS)/leveling data with the gravimetric quasi-geoid/geoid, where GPS/leveling data are treated as an additional observation group to form a new functional model. In this manner, the quasi-geoid/geoid that fits the local leveling system can be computed in one step, and no post-processing (e.g., corrector surface or least squares collocation) procedures are needed. As a case study, we model a new reference surface over Hong Kong. The results show solutions with first-order regularization are better than those obtained from zero-order regularization, which indicates the former may be more preferable for regional gravity field modeling. The numerical results also demonstrate the gravimetric quasi-geoid/geoid and GPS/leveling data can be combined properly using this direct approach, where no systematic errors exist between these two data sets. A comparison with 61 independent GPS/leveling points shows the accuracy of the new geoid, HKGEOID-2016, is around 1.1 cm. Further evaluation demonstrates the new geoid has improved significantly compared to the original model, HKGEOID-2000, and the standard deviation for the differences between the observed and computed geoidal heights at all GPS/leveling points is reduced from 2.4 to 0.6 cm. Finally, we conclude HKGEOID-2016 can be substituted for HKGEOID-2000 for engineering purposes and geophysical investigations in Hong Kong.

Geochemical and geophysical constrains on the dynamic topography of the Southern African Plateau

Abstract: The deep mantle African Superswell is considered to contribute to the topographic uplift of the Southern African Plateau, but dynamic support estimates vary wildly depending on the approach and data used. One reason for these large disparities is that the role of lithospheric structure, key in modulating deep dynamic contributions to elevation, is commonly ignored or oversimplified in convection studies. We use multiple high-quality geophysical data coupled with xenolith-based geochemical constraints to compute the isostatic lithospheric contribution to the elevation of the Plateau, facilitating isolation of the current dynamic component from the total observed elevation. We employ a multi-observable stochastic algorithm to invert geoid anomaly, surface-wave dispersion data, magnetotelluric data and surface heat flow to predict elevation in a fully thermodynamically and internally-consistent manner. We find that a compositionally-layered 230 ±7 km thick lithosphere is required to simultaneously fit all four data types, in agreement with abundant independent xenolith evidence. Our stochastic modelling indicates a lithospheric contribution to elevation of the order of 670 m, which implies dynamic support arising from the convecting sub-lithospheric mantle of ∼650 m. Our results have important implications for the understanding of lithospheric-deep mantle feedback mechanisms and for calibrating dynamic topography estimates from global convection studies.

Using advanced soft computing techniques for regional shoreline geoid model estimation and evaluation

Abstract: This study aims at evaluating the global geoid model for a regional shoreline fitting using advanced soft computing techniques and global navigation satellite system/leveling measurements. Artificial neural networks, fuzzy logic, and least square support vector machine models are developed and used to fit the global geoid model for the north coastal Egyptian line. In addition, a novel estimation geoid model is designed and evaluated based on the latest global geoid models. The results of the three estimation models show that they can be used to correct the shoreline geoid model, in terms of root mean square error that ranges from 1.7 to 8.5 cm. Moreover, it is found that the least square vector machine model is a competitive approach with certain advantage in solving complex problems represented by missing data.

Oceanic residual topography agrees with mantle flow predictions at long wavelengths

Abstract: Dynamic topography, the surface deflection induced by sublithosheric mantle flow, is an important prediction made by geodynamic models, but there is an apparent disparity between geodynamic model predictions and estimates of residual topography (total topography minus lithospheric and crustal contributions). We generate synthetic global topography fields with different power spectral slopes and spatial patterns to investigate how well the long-wavelength (spherical degrees 1 to 3) components can be recovered from a discrete set of samples where residual topography has been recently estimated. An analysis of synthetic topography, along with observed geoid and gravity anomalies, demonstrates the reliability of signal recovery. Appropriate damping factors, which depend on the maximum degree in the spherical harmonic expansion that is used to fit the samples, must be applied to recover the long-wavelength topography correctly; large damping factors smooth the model excessively and suppress residual topography amplitude and power spectra unrealistically. Recovered long-wavelength residual topographies based on recent oceanic point-wise estimates with different spherical expansion degrees agree with each other and with the predicted dynamic topography from mantle flow models. The peak amplitude of the long-wavelength residual topography from oceanic observations is about 1 km, suggesting an important influence of large-scale deep mantle flow.

Non‐linear stochastic inversion of gravity data via quantum‐behaved particle swarm optimisation: application to Eurasia–Arabia collision zone (Zagros, Iran)

Abstract: Potential field data such as geoid and gravity anomalies are globally available and offer valuable information about the Earth's lithosphere especially in areas where seismic data coverage is sparse. For instance, non-linear inversion of Bouguer anomalies could be used to estimate the crustal structures including variations of the crustal density and of the depth of the crust-mantle boundary, i.e. Moho. However, due to non-linearity of this inverse problem, classical inversion methods would fail whenever there is no reliable initial model. Swarm intelligence algorithms, such as Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO), are a promising alternative to classical inversion methods because the quality of their solutions does not depend on the initial model, they do not use the derivatives of the objective function, hence allowing the use of L1 norm, and finally they are global search methods, meaning the problem could be non-convex. In this paper, Quantum-behaved Particle Swarm (QPSO), a probabilistic swarm intelligence-like algorithm, is used to solve the non-linear gravity inverse problem. The method is first successfully tested on a realistic synthetic crustal model with a linear vertical density gradient and lateral density and depth variations at the base of crust in the presence of white Gaussian noise. Then, it is applied to the EIGEN 6c4, a combined global gravity model, to estimate the depth to the base of the crust and the mean density contrast between the crust and the upper-mantle lithosphere in the Eurasia-Arabia continental collision zone along a 400 km profile crossing the Zagros Mountains (Iran). The results agree well with previously published works including both seismic and potential field studies. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved

Data requirements for a 5-mm quasi-geoid in the Netherlands

Abstract: We assess the surface gravity data requirements for a 5-mm quasi-geoid model for the Netherlands mainland and continental shelf in terms of omission and commission errors. The omission error critically depends on the roughness of the topography and bathymetry. For the Netherlands continental shelf, Central and Northern Netherlands, the omission error is well described by the model 0.32d mm, where d is the data spacing in km. For the more hilly Southern Netherlands, the omission error model is 0.92d mm. The commission error depends on the kernel modification, the data spacing, and the data accuracy. When using the spheroidal Stokes kernel, it is well described by 0.277 d σΔg mm, where σΔg is the noise standard deviation of surface gravity data in mGal. An upper bound of the commission error of the state-of-the-art satellite-only gravity model GOCO05S over the Netherlands is e0.03676L–11.419 mm, where L is the maximum degree up to which this model is used. Only if this model is truncated at a sufficiently low degree, e.g., at degree 100, its contribution to the total commission error can be neglected. We determine the total error as the sum of commission and omission errors. Hence, to realize a 5-mm quasi-geoid model for the Netherlands mainland and continental shelf, a data spacing of 3.5 km is needed when assuming a noise standard deviation of 1.5 mGal for surface gravity data. The currently available land-based gravity data fulfill this requirement. This does not apply to the situation at sea, where the density of the shipboard gravity data and the accuracy of the radar altimeter-derived data do not allow the realization of a 5-mm quasi-geoid model.

Airborne geoid mapping of land and sea areas of East Malaysia

Abstract: Abstract This paper describes the development of a new geoid-based vertical datum from airborne gravity data, by the Department of Survey and Mapping Malaysia, on land and in the South China Sea out of the coast of East Malaysia region, covering an area of about 610,000 square kilometres. More than 107,000 km flight line of airborne gravity data over land and marine areas of East Malaysia has been combined to provide a seamless land-to-sea gravity field coverage; with an estimated accuracy of better than 2.0 mGal. The iMAR-IMU processed gravity anomaly data has been used during a 2014-2016 airborne survey to extend a composite gravity solution across a number of minor gaps on selected lines, using a draping technique. The geoid computations were all done with the GRAVSOFT suite of programs from DTU-Space. EGM2008 augmented with GOCE spherical harmonic model has been used to spherical harmonic degree N = 720. The gravimetric geoid first was tied at one tide-gauge (in Kota Kinabalu, KK2019) to produce a fitted geoid, my_geoid2017_fit_kk. The fitted geoid was offset from the gravimetric geoid by +0.852 m, based on the comparison at the tide-gauge benchmark KK2019. Consequently, orthometric height at the six other tide gauge stations was computed from HGPS Lev = hGPS - Nmy_geoid2017_.t_kk. Comparison of the conventional (HLev) and GPS-levelling heights (HGPS Lev) at the six tide gauge locations indicate RMS height difference of 2.6 cm. The final gravimetric geoidwas fitted to the seven tide gauge stations and is known as my_geoid2017_fit_east. The accuracy of the gravimetric geoid is estimated to be better than 5 cm across most of East Malaysia land and marine areas

Definition of the relativistic geoid in terms of isochronometric surfaces

Abstract: We present a definition of the geoid that is based on the formalism of general relativity without approximations; i.e. it allows for arbitrarily strong gravitational fields. For this reason, it applies not only to the Earth and other planets but also to compact objects such as neutron stars. We define the geoid as a level surface of a time-independent redshift potential. Such a redshift potential exists in any stationary spacetime. Therefore, our geoid is well defined for any rigidly rotating object with constant angular velocity and a fixed rotation axis that is not subject to external forces. Our definition is operational because the level surfaces of a redshift potential can be realized with the help of standard clocks, which may be connected by optical fibers. Therefore, these surfaces are also called isochronometric surfaces. We deliberately base our definition of a relativistic geoid on the use of clocks since we believe that clock geodesy offers the best methods for probing gravitational fields with highest precision in the future. However, we also point out that our definition of the geoid is mathematically equivalent to a definition in terms of an acceleration potential, i.e. that our geoid may also be viewed as a level surface orthogonal to plumb lines. Moreover, we demonstrate that our definition reduces to the known Newtonian and post-Newtonian notions in the appropriate limits. As an illustration, we determine the isochronometric surfaces for rotating observers in axisymmetric static and axisymmetric stationary solutions to Einstein's vacuum field equation, with the Schwarzschild metric, the Erez-Rosen metric, the q-metric and the Kerr metric as particular examples.

On the analysis of temporal geoid height variations obtained from GRACE-based GGMs over the area of Poland

Abstract: Temporal mass variations in the Earth system, which can be detected from the Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) mission data, cause temporal variations of geoid heights. The main objective of this contribution is to analyze temporal variations of geoid heights over the area of Poland using global geopotential models (GGMs) developed on the basis of GRACE mission data. Time series of geoid height variations were calculated for the chosen subareas of the aforementioned area using those GGMs. Thereafter, these variations were analyzed using two different methods. On the basis of the analysis results, models of temporal geoid height variations were developed and discussed. The possibility of prediction of geoid height variations using GRACE mission data over the area of Poland was also investigated. The main findings reveal that the geoid height over the area of Poland vary within 1.1 cm which should be considered when defining the geoid model of 1 cm accuracy for this area.

Assessment of marine geoid models by ship-borne GNSS profiles

Abstract: Even though the entire Baltic Sea is included in previous geoid modelling projects such as the NKG2015 and EGG07, the accuracy of contemporary geoid models over marine areas remains unknown, presumably being offshore around 15–20 cm. An important part of the international cooperation project FAMOS (Finalising Surveys for the Baltic Motorways of the Sea) efforts is conducting new marine gravity observations for improving gravimetric quasigeoid modelling. New data is essential to the project as the existing gravimetric data over some regions of the Baltic Sea may be inaccurate and insufficiently scarce for the purpose of 5 cm accuracy geoid modelling. Therefore, it is important to evaluate geoid modelling outcome by independent data, for instance by shipborne GNSS measurements. Accordingly, this study presents results of the ship-borne marine gravity and GNSS campaign held on board the Estonian Maritime Administration survey vessel “Jakob Prei” in West-Estonian archipelago in June/July 2016. Emphasis of the study is on principles of using the GNSS profiles for validation of existing geoid models, post-processing of GNSS raw data and low-pass filtering of the GNSS results. Improvements in geoid modelling using new gravimetric data are also discussed. For example, accuracy of geoid models including the new marine gravity data increased 11 mm as assessed from GNSS profiles. It is concluded that the marine GNSS profiles have a potential in providing complementary constraints in problematic geoid modelling areas.

Computation of precise geoid model of Auvergne using current UNB Stokes-Helmert's approach

Abstract: Abstract The aim of this paper is to show a present state-of-the-art precise gravimetric geoid determination using the UNB Stokes-Helmert’s technique in a simple schematic way. A detailed description of a practical application of this technique in the Auvergne test area is also provided. In this paper, we discuss the most problematic parts of the solution: correct application of topographic and atmospheric effects including the lateral topographical density variations, downward continuation of gravity anomalies from the Earth surface to the geoid, and the optimal incorporation of the global gravity field into the final geoid model. The final model is tested on 75 GNSS/levelling points supplied with normal Molodenskij heights, which for this investigation are transformed to rigorous orthometric heights. The standard deviation of the computed geoid model is 3.3 cm without applying any artificial improvement which is the same as that of the most accurate quasigeoid.

Impact of accounting for coloured noise in radar altimetry data on a regional quasi-geoid model

Abstract: We study the impact of an accurate computation and incorporation of coloured noise in radar altimeter data when computing a regional quasi-geoid model using least-squares techniques. Our test area comprises the Southern North Sea including the Netherlands, Belgium, and parts of France, Germany, and the UK. We perform the study by modelling the disturbing potential with spherical radial base functions. To that end, we use the traditional remove-compute-restore procedure with a recent GRACE/GOCE static gravity field model. Apart from radar altimeter data, we use terrestrial, airborne, and shipboard gravity data. Radar altimeter sea surface heights are corrected for the instantaneous dynamic topography and used in the form of along-track quasi-geoid height differences. Noise in these data are estimated using repeat-track and post-fit residual analysis techniques and then modelled as an auto regressive moving average process. Quasi-geoid models are computed with and without taking the modelled coloured noise into account. The difference between them is used as a measure of the impact of coloured noise in radar altimeter along-track quasi-geoid height differences on the estimated quasi-geoid model. The impact strongly depends on the availability of shipboard gravity data. If no such data are available, the impact may attain values exceeding 10 centimetres in particular areas. In case shipboard gravity data are used, the impact is reduced, though it still attains values of several centimetres. We use geometric quasi-geoid heights from GPS/levelling data at height markers as control data to analyse the quality of the quasi-geoid models. The quasi-geoid model computed using a model of the coloured noise in radar altimeter along-track quasi-geoid height differences shows in some areas a significant improvement over a model that assumes white noise in these data. However, the interpretation in other areas remains a challenge due to the limited quality of the control data.

Determining Coastal Mean Dynamic Topography by Geodetic Methods

Abstract: In geodesy, coastal Mean Dynamic Topography (MDT) was traditionally determined by spirit levelling technique. Advances in navigation satellite positioning (e.g., GPS) and geoid determination enable space-based levelling with an accuracy of about 3 cm at tide gauges. Recent CryoSat-2, a satellite altimetry mission with Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) and SAR interferometric measurements, extends the space-based levelling to the coastal ocean with the same accuracy. However, barriers remain in applying the two space-based geodetic methods for MDT determination over the coastal ocean because current geoid modelling focuses primarily on land as a substitute to spirit levelling to realize the vertical datum.

A re-evaluation of the relativistic redshift on frequency standards at NIST, Boulder, Colorado, USA*

Abstract: We re-evaluated the relativistic redshift correction applicable to the frequency standards at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) in Boulder, Colorado, USA, based on a precise GPS survey of three benchmarks on the roof of the building where these standards had been previously housed, and on global and regional geoid models supported by data from the GRACE and GOCE missions, including EGM2008, USGG2009, and USGG2012 We also evaluated the redshift offset based on the published NAVD88 geopotential number of the leveling benchmark Q407 located on the side of Building 1 at NIST, Boulder, Colorado, USA, after estimating the bias of the NAVD88 datum at our specific location Based on these results, our current best estimate of the relativistic redshift correction, if frequency standards were located at the height of the leveling benchmark Q407 outside the second floor of Building 1, with respect to the EGM2008 geoid whose potential has been estimated to be , is equal to (−179850 ± 006) × 10−16 The corresponding value, with respect to an equipotential surface defined by the International Astronomical Union's (IAU) adopted value of , is (−179853 ± 006) × 10−16 These values are comparable to the value of (−179870 ± 030) × 10−16, estimated by Pavlis and Weiss in 2003, with respect to an equipotential surface defined by The minus sign implies that clocks run faster in the laboratory in Boulder than a corresponding clock located on the geoid