Ellipsoidal area mean gravity anomalies - precise computation of gravity anomaly reference fields for remove-compute-restore geoid determination

Gravity anomaly reference fields, required e.g. in remove-compute-restore (RCR) geoid computation, are obtained from global geopotential models (GGM) through harmonic synthesis. Usually, the gravity anomalies are computed as point values or area mean values in spherical approximation, or point value...

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Main Authors: Hirt, Christian, Claessens, Sten
Format: Journal Article
Published: Springer 2011
Subjects:
Online Access:http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/9541
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author Hirt, Christian
Claessens, Sten
author_facet Hirt, Christian
Claessens, Sten
author_sort Hirt, Christian
building Curtin Institutional Repository
collection Online Access
description Gravity anomaly reference fields, required e.g. in remove-compute-restore (RCR) geoid computation, are obtained from global geopotential models (GGM) through harmonic synthesis. Usually, the gravity anomalies are computed as point values or area mean values in spherical approximation, or point values in ellipsoidal approximation. The present study proposes a method for computation of area mean gravity anomalies in ellipsoidal approximation ('ellipsoidal area means') by applying a simple ellipsoidal correction to area means in spherical approximation. Ellipsoidal area means offer better consistency with GGM quasi/geoid heights. The method is numerically validated with ellipsoidal area mean gravity derived from very fine grids of gravity point values in ellipsoidal approximation. Signal strengths of (i) the ellipsoidal effect (i.e., difference ellipsoidal vs. spherical approximation), (ii) the area mean effect (i.e., difference area mean vs. point gravity) and (iii) the ellipsoidal area mean effect (i.e., differences between ellipsoidal area means and point gravity in spherical approximation) are investigated in test areas in New Zealand and the Himalaya mountains. The impact of both the area mean and the ellipsoidal effect on quasigeoid heights is in the order of several centimetres. The proposed new gravity data type not only allows more accurate RCR-based geoid computation, but may also be of some value for the GGM validation using terrestrial gravity anomalies that are available as area mean values.
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spelling curtin-20.500.11937-95412017-09-13T15:54:44Z Ellipsoidal area mean gravity anomalies - precise computation of gravity anomaly reference fields for remove-compute-restore geoid determination Hirt, Christian Claessens, Sten remove-compute-restore (RCR) geoid computation ellipsoidal area mean area mean gravity point gravity global geopotential model (GGM) Gravity anomaly reference fields, required e.g. in remove-compute-restore (RCR) geoid computation, are obtained from global geopotential models (GGM) through harmonic synthesis. Usually, the gravity anomalies are computed as point values or area mean values in spherical approximation, or point values in ellipsoidal approximation. The present study proposes a method for computation of area mean gravity anomalies in ellipsoidal approximation ('ellipsoidal area means') by applying a simple ellipsoidal correction to area means in spherical approximation. Ellipsoidal area means offer better consistency with GGM quasi/geoid heights. The method is numerically validated with ellipsoidal area mean gravity derived from very fine grids of gravity point values in ellipsoidal approximation. Signal strengths of (i) the ellipsoidal effect (i.e., difference ellipsoidal vs. spherical approximation), (ii) the area mean effect (i.e., difference area mean vs. point gravity) and (iii) the ellipsoidal area mean effect (i.e., differences between ellipsoidal area means and point gravity in spherical approximation) are investigated in test areas in New Zealand and the Himalaya mountains. The impact of both the area mean and the ellipsoidal effect on quasigeoid heights is in the order of several centimetres. The proposed new gravity data type not only allows more accurate RCR-based geoid computation, but may also be of some value for the GGM validation using terrestrial gravity anomalies that are available as area mean values. 2011 Journal Article http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/9541 10.1007/s11200-010-0070-2 Springer fulltext
spellingShingle remove-compute-restore (RCR) geoid computation
ellipsoidal area mean
area mean gravity
point gravity
global geopotential model (GGM)
Hirt, Christian
Claessens, Sten
Ellipsoidal area mean gravity anomalies - precise computation of gravity anomaly reference fields for remove-compute-restore geoid determination
title Ellipsoidal area mean gravity anomalies - precise computation of gravity anomaly reference fields for remove-compute-restore geoid determination
title_full Ellipsoidal area mean gravity anomalies - precise computation of gravity anomaly reference fields for remove-compute-restore geoid determination
title_fullStr Ellipsoidal area mean gravity anomalies - precise computation of gravity anomaly reference fields for remove-compute-restore geoid determination
title_full_unstemmed Ellipsoidal area mean gravity anomalies - precise computation of gravity anomaly reference fields for remove-compute-restore geoid determination
title_short Ellipsoidal area mean gravity anomalies - precise computation of gravity anomaly reference fields for remove-compute-restore geoid determination
title_sort ellipsoidal area mean gravity anomalies - precise computation of gravity anomaly reference fields for remove-compute-restore geoid determination
topic remove-compute-restore (RCR) geoid computation
ellipsoidal area mean
area mean gravity
point gravity
global geopotential model (GGM)
url http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/9541