Detailed gravimetric geoid confirmation of sea surface topography detected by the skylab S-193 altimeter in the Atlantic Ocean

A detailed gravimetric geoid has been computed for the Nortwest Atlantic Ocean and Caribbean Sea area in support of the calibration and evaluation of the GEOS-3 altimeter. This geoid, computed on a 15’ x 15’ grid was based upon a combination of surface gravity data and the GSFC GEM-8 gravitational field model. This gravimetric geoid has been compared with passes of SKYLAB altimeter data recorded in the Atlantic Ocean, and three typical passes are presented. The relative agreement of the two data types is quite good with differences generally less than 2 meters for these passes. Sea surface manifestations of numerous short wavelength (≈ 100 km) oceanographic features indicated in the altimeter data are also confirmed by the gravimetric geoid.