EARTH CURVATURE AND REFRACTION

Abstract

1. For both geodetic and geophysical reasons it is desirable that a method of determining the curvature of the earth at a large number of points, as well as the heights of these points, should be developed. The fact that these two quantities are intimately related in the process of height determination by reciprocal vertical angles has in general been ignored. The present paper does not profess to provide a complete solution; but rather to set forth the requirements and to make some suggestions towards meeting them; and to stress the need for research in the matter of terrestrial refraction, which is certainly long overdue.