On The Determination Of The Earth's Model – The Mean Equipotential Surface

The sea surface cannot be used as reference for Major Vertical Datum definition because its deviations from the ideal equipotential surface are very large compared to rms in the observed quantities. The quasigeoid is not quite suitable as the surface representing the most accurate Earth's model without some additional conditions, because it depends on the reference field. The normal Earth's model represented by the rotational level ellipsoid can be defined by the geocentric gravitational constant, the difference in the principal Earth's inertia moments, by the angular velocity of the Earth's rotation and by the semimajor axis or by the potential (U ₀ ) on the surface of the level ellipsoid. After determining the geopotential at the gauge stations defining Vertical Datums, gravity anomalies and heights should be transformed into the unique vertical system (Major Vertical Datum). This makes it possible to apply Brovar's (1995) idea of determining the reference ellipsoid by minimizing the integral, introduced by Riemann as the Dirichlet principle, to reach a minimum rms anomalous gravity field. Since the semimajor axis depends on tidal effects, potential U ₀ should be adopted as the fourth primary fundamental geodetic constant. The equipotential surface, the actual geopotential of which is equal to U ₀ , can be adopted as reference for realizing the Major Vertical Datum.     

Gravity potential at the Major Vertical Datum as primary geodetic constant

Summary On the basis of the fundamental relations of the Molodensky's Earth's figure theory (1945), admitting the inequality of the gravity potentials at the Major Vertical Datum W₀ and on the surface of the reference level ellipsoid U₀, and taken into account that potential W₀ enters into equations directly, it is recomended, W₀ should be adopted as a primary geodetic constant. Parameters of the best fitting ellipsoid are not needed for the solution of geodetic problems and for the investigation of the Earth's gravity field. The reason for requiring the reference and actual fields be close is only that the boundary-value problem can be solved in the linear approximation. Dedicated to the Memory of M.S. Molodensky Contribution to the I.A.G. Special Commission SC3 Fundamental Constants (SCFC).     

Computation of Ray Amplitudes in Inhomogeneous Media with Curved

The TOPEX/POSEIDON (T/P) satellite altimeter data from January 1, 1993 to January 3, 2001 (cycles 11–305) was used for investigating the long-term variations of the geoidal geopotential W ₀ and the geopotential scale factor R ₀ = GM÷W ₀ (GM is the adopted geocentric gravitational constant). The mean values over the whole period covered are W ₀ = (62 636 856.161 ± 0.002) m²s^-2, R ₀ = (6 363 672.5448 ± 0.0002) m. The actual accuracy is limited by the altimeter calibration error (2–3 cm) and it is conservatively estimated to be about ± 0.5 m²s^-2 (± 5 cm). The differences between the yearly mean sea surface (MSS) levels came out as follows: 1993–1994: –(1.2 ± 0.7) mm, 1994–1995: (0.5 ± 0.7) mm, 1995–1996: (0.5 ± 0.7) mm, 1996–1997: (0.1 ± 0.7) mm, 1997–1998: –(0.5 ± 0.7) mm, 1998–1999: (0.0 ± 0.7) mm and 1999–2000: (0.6 ± 0.7) mm. The corresponding rate of change in the MSS level (or R ₀) during the whole period of 1993–2000 is (0.02 ± 0.07) mm÷y. The value W ₀ was found to be quite stable, it depends only on the adopted GM, and the volume enclosed by surface W = W ₀. W ₀ can also uniquely define the reference (geoidal) surface that is required for a number of applications, including World Height System and General Relativity in precise time keeping and time definitions, that is why W ₀ is considered to be suitable for adoption as a primary astrogeodetic parameter. Furthermore, W ₀ provides a scale parameter for the Earth that is independent of the tidal reference system. After adopting a value for W ₀, the semi-major axis a of the Earth's general ellipsoid can easily be derived. However, an a priori condition should be posed first. Two conditions have been examined, namely an ellipsoid with the corresponding geopotential which fits best W ₀ in the least squares sense and an ellipsoid which has the global geopotential average equal to W ₀. It is demonstrated that both a-values are practically equal to the value obtained by the Pizzetti's theory of the level ellipsoid: a = (6 378 136.7 ± 0.05) m.     

Mean Earth'S Equipotential Surface From Topex/Poseidon Altimetry

The geopotential value of W ₀ = (62 636 855.611 ± 0.008) m ² s ^–2 which specifies the equipotential surface fitting the mean ocean surface best, was obtained from four years (1993 - 1996) of TOPEX/POSEIDON altimeter data (AVISO, 1995). The altimeter calibration error limits the actual accuracy of W ₀ to about (0.2 - 0.5) m ² s ^–2 (2 - 5) cm. The same accuracy limits also apply to the corresponding semimajor axis of the mean Earth's level ellipsoid a = 6 378 136.72 m (mean tide system), a = 6 378 136.62 m (zero tide system), a = 6 378 136.59 m (tide-free). The variations in the yearly mean values of the geopotential did not exceed ±0.025 m ² s ^–2 (±2.5 mm).     

Mean equatorial gravity derived from various geopotential models

Summary Mean equatorial gravity has been computed from geopotential models GEM-10C, GEM-7, GEM-T1, GEM-T2, GEM-T3, JGM-1, JGM-2, JGM-3 and OSU91A and compared to the normal equatorial gravity, _e=978 032·699 × 10^–5 m s^–2, computed from four given parameters defining the Earth's level ellipsoid. In all models g_e>_e.     

Fundamental geodetic parameters of the earth's figure and the structure of the earth's gravity field derived from satellite data

Summary Using the geocentric constant GM=398 601.3 × 10 ⁹ m ³s ^–2 , the known value of the angular velocity of the Earth's rotation , Stokes' constants J _n ^(k) and S _n ^(k) upto n=21 (zonal), n=16 (tesseral and sectorial) [2], the geocentric co-ordinates and heights above sea-level of SAO satellite stations [2], the following will be derived: the potential on the geoid W_o, the scale factor for lengths R_o=GM/W_o, the radius-vector of the surface W=W_o, the parameters of the best-fitting Earth tri-axial ellipsoid, and the components of the deflections of the vertical with respect to the geocentric rotational IAG ellipsoid (Lucerne 1967), as well as to the best-fitting geocentric tri-axial ellipsoid. Some of the differences in the structure of the gravity field over the Northern and Southern Hemispheres will be given, and the mean values of gravity over the equatorial zone, determined from the dynamics of satellite orbits, on the one hand, and from terrestrial gravity data, on the other, will be compared.Presented at the Fifteenth IUGG General Assembly, Moscow, July 30 — August 14, 1971.     

Estimation of the accuracy of geopotential models

Summary The new Geopotential Model Testing (GMT) method has been theoretically developed and practically applied. It is free of any hypothesis, the limiting factors are the accuracy of the geocentric position of the GMT sites and of their normal heights, as well as the accuracy of the geopotential value W₀ on the geoid used as the testing value given a-priori. The GMT procedure occurs on the physical Earth's surface, no reductions are applied. No limits as regards the magnitude of the heights above sea level of the GMT sites are required. The rms error at discrete points of the most recent geopotential model JGM-3 comes out at about ± 1·5 m.     

Geoidal Geopotential and World Height System

The geoidal geopotential value of W ₀ = 62 636 856.0 ± 0.5m ² s ^–2 , determined from the 1993 –1998 TOPEX/POSEIDON altimeter data, can be used to practically define and realize the World Height System. The W ₀ -value can also uniquely define the geoidal surface and is required for a number of applications, including General Relativity in precise time keeping and time definitions. Furthermore, the W ₀ -value provides a scale parameter for the Earth that is independent of the tidal reference system. All of the above qualities make the geoidal potential W ₀ ideally suited for official adoption as one of the fundamental constants, replacing the currently adopted semi-major axis a of the mean Earth ellipsoid. Vertical shifts of the Local Vertical Datum (LVD) origins can easily be determined with respect to the World Height System (defined by W ₀ ), in using the recent EGM96 gravity model and ellipsoidal height observations (e.g. GPS) at levelling points. Using this methodology the LVD vertical displacements for the NAVD88 (North American Vertical Datum 88), NAP (Normaal Amsterdams Peil), AMD (Australian Height Datum), KHD (Kronstadt Height Datum), and N60 (Finnish Height Datum) were determined with respect to the proposed World Height System as follows: –55.1 cm, –11.0 cm, +42.4 cm, –11.1 cm and +1.8 cm, respectively.     

Determination of the Geopotential Scale Factor from TOPEX/POSEIDON Satellite Altimetry

The geopotential scale factor R _o = GM/W _o (the GM geocentric gravitational constant adopted) and/or geoidal potential Wo have been determined on the basis of the first year's (Oct 92 – Dec 93) ERS-1/TOPEX/POSEIDON altimeter data and of the POCM 4B sea surface topography model: R _o °=(6 363 672.58°±0.05) m, W _o °=(62 636 855.8°±0.05)m ² s ^–2 . The 2°–°3 cm uncertainty in the altimeter calibration limits the actual accuracy of the solution. Monitoring dW _o /dt has been projected.     

Scale factor for lengths of the geopotential model

Summary Using the data in[1], the scale factor for lengths is derived of the geopotential model R ₀ =GM/W ₀ (W ₀ is the potential on a generalized geoid). The resulting value, R ₀ ==6 363 672.9 m, which is2 m less than the original value[5], is practically the same as that in[6].     

To Pizzetti's Theory of the Level Ellipsoid

The topic of the Earth's reference body, which has now been established as Pizzetti's level rotational ellipsoid, is analysed. Such a body is fully determined by four parameters: a, GM, J ₂ and . At present, the largest discrepancy in determining these parameters occurs in the value of a, which may in future be replaced by the gravity potential of the mean sea level W _o, with respect to Brovar's condition.Pizzetti's four parameters of the reference body are determined by solving the Dirichlet boundary value problem. The Dirichlet problem has only a unique solution, which, however, can be expressed in infinitely many ways. It turns out that the most important part in the form of the solution is played by Lamé's conditions, which determine the type of ellipsoidal coordinates.The solutions given by Pizzetti, Molodensky and another variant are considered. The last variant leads to a simple formula for the potential of the reference ellipsoid, but the formulae for Lamé's coefficients are inconvenient. Of course, all the methods lead to identical solutions, but some of them are more convenient for the historical use of logarithms, whereas others are more appropriate for use in computers.     

Some space gravity formulas and the dimensions and the mass of the Earth

Summary Adopting thePizzetti-Somigliana method and using elliptic integrals we have obtained closed formulas for the space gravity field in which one of the equipotential surfaces is a triaxial ellipsoid. The same formulas are also obtained in first approximation of the equatorial flattening avoiding the use of the elliptic integrals. Using data from satellites and Earth gravity data the gravitational and geometric bulge of the Earth's equator are computed. On the basis of these results and on the basis of recent gravity data taken around the equator between the longitudes 50° to 100° E, 155° to 180° E, and 145° to 180° W, we question the advantage of using a triaxial gravity formula and a triaxial ellipsoid in geodesy. Closed formulas for the space field in which a biaxial ellipsoid is an equipotential surface are also derived in polar coordinates and its parameters are specialized to give the international gravity formula values on the international ellipsoid. The possibility to compute the Earth's dimensions from the present Earth gravity data is the discussed and the value ofMG=(3.98603×10²⁰ cm³ sec^–2) (M mass of the Earth,G gravitational constant) is computed. The agreement of this value with others computed from the mean distance Earth-Moon is discussed. The Legendre polinomials series expansion of the gravitational potential is also added. In this series the coefficients of the polinomials are closed formulas in terms of the flattening andMG.Publication Number 327, and Istituto di Geodesia e Geofisica of Università di Trieste.     

Comparison of satellite and terrestrial gravity data

Summary The integral mean values of gravity on the surface W=W ₀ , obtained from satellite observations with the use of harmonic coefficients[3, 7] and from terrestrial gravity measurements[12], are compared. The squares and products of the harmonic coefficients were neglected, with the exception of [J ₂ ⁽⁰⁾ ] ² , which was taken into account. The Potsdam correction and the geocentric constant are being discussed. The paper ties up with[13–15] and the symbols used are the same. The given problem was treated, e.g., in[2, 4, 6, 8–10]; in the present paper the values of gravity are compared directly.     

Temporal Variations in Sea Surface Topography and Dynamics of the Earth's Inertia Ellipsoid

Temporal variations in the nine elements of the Earth's inertia ellipsoid due to sea surface topography dynamics were derived from TOPEX/POSEIDON altimeter data 1993 - 1996. The variations amount to about 10 mm in the position of the center of the Earth's inertia ellipsoid (E _i ), 0.15' in the polar axis direction of E _i and to about 0.0003 in the denominator of its polar flattening. The approach used is based on the temporal variations of distortions computed by means of the geopotential model EGM96 which is used as reference.     

Discussion of Mean Gravity Along the Plumbline

According to the definition of the orthometric height, the mean value of gravity along the plumbline between the Earth's surface and the geoid is defined in an integral sense. In Helmert's (1890) definition of the orthometric height, a linear change of the gravity with depth is assumed. The mean gravity is determined so that the observed gravity at the Earth's surface is reduced to the approximate mid-point of the plumbline using Poincaré-Prey's gravity gradient. Niethammer (1932) and later Mader (1954) took into account the mean value of the gravimetric terrain correction within the topography considering the constant topographical density distribution along the plumbline (for more details see Heiskanen and Moritz, 1967). Vaníek et al. (1995) included the effect of the lateral variation of the topographical density into the definition of Helmert's orthometric height. Recently, Hwang and Hsiao (2003) discussed the influence of the vertical gradient of disturbing gravity on the orthometric heights. In this paper, the mean integral value of gravity along the plumbline within the topography is defined so that the actual topographical density distribution and the change of the disturbing gravity with depth are taken into account. Based on the definition of the mean gravity, the relation between the orthometric and normal heights is discussed.     

A Global Vertical Reference Frame Based on Four Regional Vertical Datums

A Global Vertical Reference Frame (GVRF) has been realized by means of several regional and local vertical datums (LVD) distributed world-wide: the North American Vertical Datum 1988 (NAVD 88), Australian Height Datum 1971 (AHD 71), LVD France, Institute Géographique National 1969 (IGN 69) and Brazilian Height Datum 1957 (BHD 57). The vertical shifts of the above LVD origins have been related to the adopted reference geopotential value W ₀ = (62 636 856.0 ± 0.5) m²s^–2 and they were determined at the 5 cm level. However, the W ₀ reference value can be chosen arbitrarily, the methodology, which was developed here, does not require that the above value be adopted.     

Some geophysical and geodetic contributions of satellite-determined gravity results

Satellite orbital data yield reliable values of low degree and order coefficients in the spherical harmonic expansion of the Earth's gravity field. The second degree coefficient yields the shape of the Earth — probably the most important single parameter in geodesy. It is crucial in the numerical evaluation of different forms of the theoretical gravity formula. The new information requires the standardization of gravity anomalies obtained from satellite gravity and terrestrial gravity data in the context of three most commonly used reference figures, e.g.,International Reference Ellipsoid, Reference Ellipsoid 1967, andEquilibrium Reference Ellipsoid. This standardization is important in the comparison and combination of satellite gravity and gravimetric data as well as the integration of surface gravity data, collected with different objectives, in a single reference system.Examination of the nature of satellite gravity anomalies aids in the geophysical and geodetic interpretation of these anomalies in terms of the tectonic features of the Earth and the structure of the Earth's crust and mantle. Satellite results also make it possible to compute the Potsdam correction and Earth's equatorial radius from the satellite-determined geopotential. They enable the decomposition of the total observed gravity anomaly into components of geophysical interest. They also make it possible to study the temporal variations of the geogravity field. In addition, satellite results make significant contributions in the prediction of gravity in unsurveyed areas, as well as in providing a check on marine gravity profiles.On leave from University of Hawaii, Honolulu.     

Temporal variations of rotational origin in the absolute value of gravity

Summary When correcting precise gravity measurements for polar motion, the Earth's rotational deformation must be considered, as this will increase the correction based on a rigid Earth by about 15%. Conversely the gravity observations can be used to estimate the Love numbers h₂ and k₂ at the Chandler frequency.     

Experiences with the use of mass-density maps in residual gravity forward modelling

In many modern local and regional gravity field modelling concepts, the short-wavelength gravitational signal modeled by the residual terrain modelling (RTM) technique is used to augment global geopotential models, or to smooth observed gravity prior to data gridding. In practice, the evaluation of RTM effects mostly relies on a constant density assumption, because of the difficulty and complexity of obtaining information on the actual distribution of density of topographic masses. Where the actual density of topographic masses deviates from the adopted value, errors are present in the RTM mass-model, and hence, in the forward-modelled residual gravity field. In this paper we attempt to overcome this problem by combining the RTM technique with a high-resolution mass-density model. We compute RTM gravity quantities over New Zealand, with different combinations of elevation models and mass-density assumptions using gravity and GPS/levelling measurements, precise terrain and bathymetry models, a high-resolution mass-density model and constant density assumptions as main input databases. Based on gravity observations and the RTM technique, optimum densities are detected for North Island of ~2500 kg m^?3, South Island of ~2600 kg m^?3, and the whole New Zealand of ~2590 kg m^?3. Comparison among the three sets of residual gravity disturbances computed from different mass-density assumptions show that, together with a global potential model, the high-resolution New Zealand density model explains ~89.5% of gravitational signals, a constant density assumption of 2670 kg m^?3 explains ~90.2%, while a regionally optimum mass-density explains ~90.3%. Detailed comparison shows that the New Zealand density model works best over areas with small residual heights. Over areas with larger residual heights, subsurface density variations appear to affect the residual gravity disturbance. This effect is found to reach about 30 mGal over Southern Alpine Fault. In order to improve the RTM modelling with mass-density maps, a higher-quality mass-density model that provides radially varying mass-density data would be desirable.     

Geopotential Reconstruction,Decomposition, Fast Computation,and Noise Cancellation by Harmonic Wavelets

Harmonic wavelets are introduced within the framework of the Sobolev-like Hilbert space H of potentials with square-integrable restrictions to the Earth's (mean) sphere _R . Basic tool is the construction of H-product kernels in terms of an (outer harmonics) orthonormal basis in H. Scaling function and wavelet are defined by means of so-called H-product kernels. Harmonic wavelets are shown to be building blocks that decorrelate geopotential data. A pyramid scheme enables fast computations. Multiscale signal-to-noise thresholding provides suitable denoising. Multiscale modelling of the Earth's anomalous potential from EGM96-model data is illustrated by use of bandlimited harmonic wavelets, i.e. Shannon and CP-wavelets.