G1.5 | Recent Developments in Geodetic Theory and Gravity Field Estimation
EDI
Recent Developments in Geodetic Theory and Gravity Field Estimation
Convener: Petr Holota | Co-conveners: Hussein Abd-Elmotaal, Nico Sneeuw, Xiaopeng Li, Robert Cunderlik, Georgios Panou, Lisa DalheimerECSECS
Orals
| Wed, 26 Apr, 14:00–18:00 (CEST)
 
Room 0.14
Posters on site
| Attendance Thu, 27 Apr, 16:15–18:00 (CEST)
 
Hall X2
Posters virtual
| Attendance Thu, 27 Apr, 16:15–18:00 (CEST)
 
vHall GMPV/G/GD/SM
Orals |
Wed, 14:00
Thu, 16:15
Thu, 16:15
Remarkable advances over recent years give evidence that geodesy today develops under a broad spectrum of interactions, including theory, science, engineering, technology, observation, and practice-oriented services. Geodetic science accumulates significant results in studies towards classical geodetic problems and problems that only emerged or gained new interest, in many cases as a consequence of synergistic activities in geodesy and tremendous advances in the instrumentations and computational facilities. In-depth studies progressed in parallel with investigations that mean a broadening of the traditional core of geodesy. The scope of the session is conceived with a certain degree of freedom, though it is primarily intended to provide a forum for all investigations and results of theoretical and methodological nature.

We welcome contributions concerning problems of reference frames, gravity field studies, dynamics and rotation of the Earth, positioning, but also presentations surpassing frontiers of these topics. We invite presentations illustrating the use of mathematical and numerical methods in solving geodetic problems, showing advances in mathematical modeling, estimating parameters, simulating relations and systems, using high-performance computations, and discussing methods for exploiting data of new and existing satellite missions. Presentations showing mathematical and physical research directly motivated by geodetic need, practice and ties to other disciplines are welcome. In parallel to theory oriented results also examples illustrating the use of new methods on real data in various branches of geodetic science and practice are very much solicited in this session.

Part of the session will focus on the practical solution of various formulations of geodetic boundary-value problems to yield precise local and regional high-resolution (quasi)geoid models. Contributions describing recent developments in theory, processing methods, downward continuation of satellite & airborne data, treatment of altimetry and shipborne data, terrain modeling, software development and the combination of gravity data with other signals of the gravity field for a precise local and regional gravity field determination are welcome. Topics such as the comparison of methods and results, the interpretation of residuals and geoid applications to satellite altimetry, oceanography, vertical datums & local and regional geospatial height registration are of a special interest.

Orals: Wed, 26 Apr | Room 0.14

Chairpersons: Nico Sneeuw, Hussein Abd-Elmotaal, Robert Cunderlik
14:00–14:05
Recent Developments in Geodetic Theory
14:05–14:15
|
EGU23-13000
|
Highlight
|
On-site presentation
Marek Macák, Zuzana Minarechová, Róbert Čunderlík, and Karol Mikula

We present an iterative approach for solving the nonlinear satellite-fixed geodetic boundary value problem (NSFGBVP) by the finite element method that is applied for a determination of local quasigeoid in Himalayas and Andes. At first, we formulate the NSFGBVP that consists of the Laplace equation holding in the 3D bounded domain outside the Earth, the nonlinear boundary condition (BC) prescribed on the disretized Earth's surface, and the Dirichlet BC given on a spherical boundary placed approximately at the altitude of chosen satellite mission and additional four side boundaries. Then the iterative approach is based on determining the direction of actual gravity vector together with the value of the disturbing potential. Such a concept leads to the first iteration where the oblique derivative boundary value problem is solved, and the last iteration represents the approximation of the actual disturbing potential and the direction of gravity vector. As a numerical method for our approach, we have implemented the finite element method with triangular prisms. Finally, we present a high-resolution numerical experiment dealing with the local gravity field modelling in Himalayas and Andes.

How to cite: Macák, M., Minarechová, Z., Čunderlík, R., and Mikula, K.: A local quasigeoid determination by solving the nonlinear satellite-fixed geodetic boundary value problem, EGU General Assembly 2023, Vienna, Austria, 23–28 Apr 2023, EGU23-13000, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu23-13000, 2023.

14:15–14:25
|
EGU23-3913
|
On-site presentation
Michal Šprlák, Shin-Chan Han, Martin Pitoňák, and Pavel Novák

Spherical harmonic expansions are routinely used to represent the gravitational potential and its higher-order spatial derivatives in global geodetic, geophysical, and planetary science applications. The convergence domain of external spherical harmonic expansions is the space outside the minimum Brillouin sphere (the smallest sphere containing all masses of the planetary body). Nevertheless, these expansions are commonly employed inside this bounding surface without any corrections. Justification of this procedure has been debated for several decades, but conclusions among scholars are indefinite and even contradictory.

In this contribution, we examine the use of external spherical harmonic expansions for the gravitational field modelling inside the minimum Brillouin sphere. We employ the most recent lunar topographic LOLA (Lunar Orbiter Laser Altimeter) products and the measurements of the lunar gravitational field by the GRAIL (Gravity Recovery and Interior Laboratory) satellite mission. We analyse selected quantities calculated from the most recent GRAIL-derived gravitational field models and forward-modelled (topography-inferred) quantities synthesised by internal/external spherical harmonic expansions. The comparison is performed in the spectral domain (in terms of degree variances depending on the spherical harmonic degree) and in the spatial domain (in terms of spatial maps). To our knowledge, GRAIL is the first gravitational sensor ever, which helped to resolve the long-lasting convergence/divergence problem for the analytical downward continuation of the external spherical harmonic expansions, see (Šprlák and Han, 2021).

 

References

Šprlák M, Han S-C (2021) On the Use of Spherical Harmonic Series Inside the Minimum Brillouin Sphere: Theoretical Review and Evaluation by GRAIL and LOLA Satellite Data. Earth-Science Reviews, 222, 103739, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.earscirev.2021.103739.

How to cite: Šprlák, M., Han, S.-C., Pitoňák, M., and Novák, P.: Evaluation of external spherical harmonic series inside the minimum Brillouin sphere: examples for the lunar gravitational field, EGU General Assembly 2023, Vienna, Austria, 23–28 Apr 2023, EGU23-3913, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu23-3913, 2023.

14:25–14:45
|
EGU23-6147
|
ECS
|
solicited
|
Highlight
|
On-site presentation
|
Blazej Bucha and Fernando Sanso

In geodesy, the Earth's external gravitational field is often modelled by a single finite set of external spherical harmonic coefficients. The coefficients are usually derived from satellite or terrestrial gravitational data or by a suitable combination of both. It is known, however, from previous theoretical studies that satellite and terrestrial coefficients are conceptually different and, in principle, do not match. On the one hand, both types can describe the external potential with an arbitrary accuracy in the space above the limit sphere encompassing the gravitating body. On the other hand, when it comes to realistic bodies, only terrestrial coefficients can achieve the same in the space that is below the limit sphere but external to the gravitating body. The price paid to achieve the latter is the fact that the terrestrial coefficients no longer match the satellite coefficients, introducing a conceptual coefficients inconsistency. Using a carefully designed simulated yet realistic closed-loop environment, we numerically reveal in this contribution the different nature of the two coefficients sets. Taking the irregularly-shaped asteroid (101955) Bennu as the gravitating body, we show that, unsurprisingly, the satellite coefficients indeed lead to an excellent accuracy outside the limit sphere (relative accuracy of 10^-14 in double precision) but produce grossly invalid results below the limit sphere due to the divergence of spherical harmonics. After this exercise, the real challenge of the study was to reliably compute terrestrial coefficients for as complex body as the asteroid Bennu. After computations that took altogether 90 CPU years, we were able to scrutinize the terrestrial coefficients with the relative accuracy of 10^-6 on the surface of Bennu, that is, below the limit sphere. The results clearly demonstrate the different nature of the two coefficients sets. For instance, it is evident that, from the theoretical point of view, it is rather dangerous to evaluate partial sums from terrestrial coefficients on the Earth's surface. Furthermore, some of the near-surface applications of terrestrial coefficients (e.g., quasigeoid-to-geoid separation or residual terrain modelling) become questionable. As a consolation, the accuracy and the resolution of our Earth's gravitational field models are currently so poor (or excellent, depending on the context) that it will probably take some time for us to encounter these effects with real-world Earth's gravitational data.

How to cite: Bucha, B. and Sanso, F.: Satellite and terrestrial spherical harmonic coefficients of the external gravitational potential do not match, EGU General Assembly 2023, Vienna, Austria, 23–28 Apr 2023, EGU23-6147, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu23-6147, 2023.

14:45–14:55
|
EGU23-2718
|
Virtual presentation
Martin Pitoňák, Michal Šprlák, and Pavel Novák

In this contribution, we will discuss a problem of regional gravitational field modelling by the spectral combination of spaceborne first-, second- and third-order radial derivatives of the gravitational potential at the mean altitude of 250 km. Some of the mentioned measurements are not observable yet, so we will synthesize them from a global geopotential model over a test area. The main goal of a numerical experiment is to compute the gravitational field in a regional area from spatially restricted higher-order radial derivatives of disturbing potential, and two problems arise. The first is how to estimate local spectral properties, i.e., degree-order variances of local data, and the second is the effect of the omitted distant zone data, i.e., (spatial) truncation error. The spherical harmonic power spectrum from local data will be recovered by 2D-DFT, and the truncation error will be calculated from a global geopotential model. For this purpose, a mathematical model based on the spectral combination method of heterogeneous gravity field data and a global geopotential model is developed. The correctness of derived spectral weights suitable for spectral downward continuation will be verified by a closed-loop test and by direct comparison with the global solution. Moreover, different sizes of a data area (area covered by simulated satellite measurements) to minimize the truncation error and various truncation degrees of a global geopotential model will be tested.

How to cite: Pitoňák, M., Šprlák, M., and Novák, P.: Regional gravitational field modelling by the spectral combination of satellite higher-order radial derivatives of the gravitational potential and a global geopotential model, EGU General Assembly 2023, Vienna, Austria, 23–28 Apr 2023, EGU23-2718, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu23-2718, 2023.

14:55–15:05
|
EGU23-3881
|
ECS
|
On-site presentation
Xiao-Le Deng

In recent years, high-order gravitational potential gradients and variable density models are the potential research topics in gravity field modeling. This paper focuses on the variable density model for gravitational curvatures (or gravity curvatures, third-order derivatives of gravitational potential) of a tesseroid and spherical shell in the spatial domain of gravity field modeling. In this contribution, the general formula of the gravitational curvatures of a tesseroid with arbitrary order polynomial density is derived. The general expressions for gravitational effects up to the gravitational curvatures of a spherical shell with arbitrary order polynomial density are derived when the computation point is located above, inside, and below the spherical shell. The influence of the computation point's height and latitude on gravitational curvatures with the polynomial density up to fourth order is numerically investigated using tesseroids to discretize a spherical shell. Numerical results reveal that the near-zone problem exists for the fourth-order polynomial density of the gravitational curvatures, i.e., relative errors in log10 scale of gravitational curvatures are large than 0 below the height of about 50 km by a grid size of 15'x15'. The polar-singularity problem does not occur for the gravitational curvatures with polynomial density up to fourth order because of the Cartesian integral kernels of the tesseroid. The density variation can be revealed in the absolute errors as the superposition effects of Laplace parameters of gravitational curvatures other than the relative errors. The derived expressions are examples of the high-order gravitational potential gradients of the mass body with variable density in the spatial domain, which will provide the theoretical basis for future applications of gravity field modeling in geodesy and geophysics. This study is supported by the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation in Germany.

 

How to cite: Deng, X.-L.: Gravitational curvatures for a tesseroid and spherical shell with arbitrary order polynomial density, EGU General Assembly 2023, Vienna, Austria, 23–28 Apr 2023, EGU23-3881, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu23-3881, 2023.

15:05–15:15
|
EGU23-4062
|
On-site presentation
Tianhe Xu, Yunqiao He, Fan Gao, and Xinyue Meng

Abstract: Global Navigation Satellite System-Reflectometry (GNSS-R) technique has been used to obtain sea surface height (SSH) since the 1990s. Due to the short wavelengths and low power of GNSS signals, the continuously tracked carrier phase measurements of reflected signals are usually unavailable for sea surfaces with big roughness, varying over space and time. Under high sea states, the phase difference cannot be well retrieved from carrier phase measurements, especially for the signals with high elevation angles. To overcome these shortcomings related to temporal incoherence, we propose an improved algorithm to extract the combined interferometric phase difference measurements between direct and reflected signals. We improve the configuration of GNSS-R altimetry software-defined receiver (SDR) by reconstructing ‘clean’ direct signals to compute phase differences between direct and reflected signals. The interferometric phase differences are combined in the complex domain and the resulting interferometric signal is refined through open-loop tracking with 60-s coherent integration before the phase difference measurements are extracted, without tracking their respective carrier phase measurements in advance.  In order to verify our method, a coastal experiment under different sea conditions was conducted. Raw intermediate frequency data of Quasi-Zenith Satellite System were collected and processed by SDR to compute the path delay measurements of L1 and L5. Under high sea states, the phase delay measurements of L1 and L5 were random over time, while phase delay can still be well recovered based on the proposed method even in the case of high elevation angles. The altimetry solutions were compared with the in situ observations from a radar altimeter instrument. The results show that centimeter-level altimetry accuracy can be achieved under high sea states using the proposed method The same SDR and method are applied in the shipborne altimetry experiment, the interferometric phase observations are successfully extracted on both ship motion and statics. Also, the integer ambiguity in the interferometric phase observations is well estimated. The differences in the SSH measurements between different satellites is at centimeter level. The coastal and shipborne experiments demonstrate that the dual-antenna GNSS-R phase altimetry technique can be used for low-cost tide gauges on different platforms to monitor sea levels.

Acknowledgments: This work was supported by Natural Science Foundation of China (42192534) and Key Research and Development Program of Shandong Province (Major Technological Innovation Project, 2021ZDSYS01).

How to cite: Xu, T., He, Y., Gao, F., and Meng, X.: High-precision GNSS-R Altimetry based on Carrier Phase Measurement Combination, EGU General Assembly 2023, Vienna, Austria, 23–28 Apr 2023, EGU23-4062, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu23-4062, 2023.

15:15–15:25
|
EGU23-3093
|
On-site presentation
|
Paul Rebischung and Kevin Gobron

Thousands of permanent GNSS stations sample nowadays the 3D deformation of the Earth’s surface. The temporal covariance structure of the field of GNSS station displacements is well characterized and modelled. On the other hand, there lacks a general agreed-upon model of its spatial covariance structure, in part because the theory of random vector fields on the sphere remains hardly developed.

In this contribution, we show how the well-established theory of random isotropic scalar fields on the sphere generalizes to the case of vector fields. We derive in particular a spectral representation of random isotropic vector fields on the sphere in the domain of vector spherical harmonics, from which several properties of their covariance functions follow. We then present several parametric families of covariance functions which could be used to describe and model the covariance structure of vector fields on the sphere, such as GNSS station displacements.

Although this presentation focuses on theoretical aspects, it is given with future practical applications in mind. A realistic spatio-temporal covariance model of GNSS station displacements could indeed benefit different problems such as the estimation of long-term GNSS station velocities, the identification and mitigation of offsets in GNSS station position time series, the filtering of spatial “common modes” to isolate local deformation, or the spatial interpolation of GNSS station displacements into global maps. Applications may also be found in other domains involving vector quantities distributed on a sphere, e.g., winds, ocean currents, magnetic anomalies, etc.

How to cite: Rebischung, P. and Gobron, K.: Modeling random isotropic vector fields on the sphere, EGU General Assembly 2023, Vienna, Austria, 23–28 Apr 2023, EGU23-3093, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu23-3093, 2023.

15:25–15:35
|
EGU23-8952
|
On-site presentation
Leyuan Wu, Longwei Chen, Philip Livermore, Sjoerd de Ridder, and Chong Zhang

The physics-informed neural networks (PINN) are emerging as a new tool for gravity field modeling. In some scenarios, such as near-source gravitational fields representation, PINN may have greater potential than traditional spherical/ellipsoidal harmonics solutions, as the latter suffers from both theoretical and numerical divergence problems for sources with complex geometry. By incorporating observational, geometrical and statistical density information into the neural network, we aim to reduce the non-uniqueness of the solution space, therefore obtaining improved accuracy in representing gravity fields, especially near the source body. By transforming the trained gravitational potential into density distribution through Poisson's equation, we also provide a new perspective to observe the evolution of the neural network for gravity field modeling as "redistribution of equivalent density sources". The influence of multiple parameters of the neural network on the performance of the PINN gravity modeling, including its size and shape, distribution of Laplacian and Poisson collocation points, and balance between loss functions of the multiple constraints applied, are also investigated. Numerical results are illustrated using the EROS asteroid model and a regional DEM model of Colorado Geoid Experiment area.

How to cite: Wu, L., Chen, L., Livermore, P., de Ridder, S., and Zhang, C.: Physics-Informed neural networks for gravity field modeling incorporating observation, geometry and density constraints, EGU General Assembly 2023, Vienna, Austria, 23–28 Apr 2023, EGU23-8952, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu23-8952, 2023.

15:35–15:45
|
EGU23-1219
|
ECS
|
On-site presentation
Christina Filaretou and Georgios Panou

In several geodetic studies, the triaxiality of the Earth has been proven beyond a reasonable doubt, thus a triaxial ellipsoid is a better approximation and a more natural reference surface. As opposed to geodesics, plane curves on this surface are relatively easy to solve. These curves are produced by the intersection of a central ellipsoid and a plane and it is proved that they are in general ellipses. Therefore, we study the problems of the computation of an arc length of an ellipse and the determination of a point after a given length on an ellipse, using either a numerical or an approximate analytical method. Also, all the required transformations of the coordinates from the plane of the section to 3D space and conversely, are given. Subsequently, five types of planes of the ellipsoidal sections are determined: the central section, two normal sections, and two mean normal sections. Furthermore, the algorithms that solve the direct and inverse problems for these plane curves on a triaxial ellipsoid are described. Extended numerical experiments demonstrate the workability of the presented method which can also be applied to other celestial bodies. All developments in the literature assume the presence of an oblate spheroid and include an iterative scheme to solve the aforementioned problems. Alternatively, in this work, we provide the most general solutions to these problems applicable and for an oblate spheroid and all types of sections, without iterations.

How to cite: Filaretou, C. and Panou, G.: Plane curves on the Earth’s triaxial ellipsoid, EGU General Assembly 2023, Vienna, Austria, 23–28 Apr 2023, EGU23-1219, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu23-1219, 2023.

Coffee break
Chairpersons: Hussein Abd-Elmotaal, Nico Sneeuw, Xiaopeng Li
16:15–16:20
16:20–16:30
|
EGU23-4219
|
On-site presentation
Vasil Cvetkov and Slaveyko Gospodinov

The North American Vertical Datum of 1988 (NAVD88) was established by the minimum-constrain adjustment of geodetic levelling observations in Canada, USA, and Mexico. It held fixed the height of the primary tidal benchmark at Rimouski, Quebec, Canada. The NAVD88 datum was never officially adapted in Canada due its large east-west tilt of 1.5 m from the Atlantic to Pacific coast (Hayden et al., 2012). Also, a large systematic difference (ranging from -20 cm to +130 cm) was found between NAVD88 and the pure geoid gravimetric models. Using Factor Analysis it was discovered that one of the factors, which can explain the tilt of the NAVD88, is the terrain, i.e. small in the flat states but large in the mountainous areas such as in the Rockies and the Appalachians (Li, 2012). A possible reason for the tilt of the NAVD88 might be the weights used into adjustment of the network. In this study the data of two precise national levelling networks are used, e.g. the Second Levelling of Finland and the Third Levelling of Bulgaria, in order to support the above hypothesis. An iterative procedure based on the Inverse Absolute Height Weighting (IAHW) is applied. The core of this procedure is to find this value of the power parameter (p) of the weights w=Hp, where H is the absolute elevation difference of the terminals in the levelling lines, that minimize the mean of the mean squared errors (MSE) of the nodal bench marks (NBM) in both networks. It has been found that p=1 and p=4.3 for the Bulgarian and the Finnish networks, respectively. Also, a similar iterative procedure based on the Inverse Distance Weighting (IDW) is performed and the best decisions for the Finnish and the Bulgarian networks are obtained. It has been found that the weights w=L-5.9 and w=L-1.6, where L is the length of the levelling line, lead to the minimal MSE of the NBM for the Finnish and the Bulgarian networks, respectively. The results of both the IDW and the IAHW procedures are compared. It has been revealed that the IAHW based adjustments lead to significantly less MSE of the NBM than all variants of the IDW. It has also been shown that concerning the Bulgarian and the Finnish analyzed here data, the IAHD approach leads to physically lower adjusted heights than the IDW. In some cases these differences are more than 1.5-2 times greater than the MSE of the corresponding bench marks.

How to cite: Cvetkov, V. and Gospodinov, S.: Inverse Absolute Height Weighting in the Highest Order Levelling Networks, EGU General Assembly 2023, Vienna, Austria, 23–28 Apr 2023, EGU23-4219, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu23-4219, 2023.

16:30–17:00
|
EGU23-17520
|
solicited
|
Highlight
|
On-site presentation
Pavel Novak and Fernando Sansò

Geodesy defines a physical height as the shortest distance of a point to a height reference surface in the Riemannian physical space. Two types of physical heights are most commonly used in science and applications, namely orthometric and normal heights. Both heights use the same reference surface (geoid) but differ in metrics associated with either the real (in case of orthometric heights) or model (for normal heights) gravity field. Orthometric heights correspond to the classical concept of physical heights introduced in the 19th century by Gauss, Stokes and Helmert. The main reason for introducing normal heights in the mid-20th century by Vignal and Molodensky, was related to a fact that the metric for orthometric heights (or corresponding gravity corrections to levelled height differences) could be estimated only approximately as they depend on the topographic mass density. Consequentially, normal heights have been introduced in many countries worldwide. However, their concept is sometimes misunderstood as the quasi-geoid is incorrectly referred to as their reference surface. Physical heights and corresponding height systems were discussed at the 10th Hotine-Marussi Symposium held in Milan, June 2022. A motion was proposed and discussed at the symposium that acknowledged reported problems of the quasi-geoid and its improper use as a height reference surface in geodesy. This presentation summarizes main arguments that were used to forge the motion. 

How to cite: Novak, P. and Sansò, F.: On the correct definition and use of normal heights in geodesy  , EGU General Assembly 2023, Vienna, Austria, 23–28 Apr 2023, EGU23-17520, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu23-17520, 2023.

17:00–17:10
|
EGU23-3363
|
Virtual presentation
|
Daniel Roman, Xiaopeng Li, Philipp Zingerle, Martin Willberg, and Roland Pail

Within this contribution we present a method that allows a smooth integration of in-situ ground gravity observations into high-resolution global models up to d/o 5400 (2’ global resolution). The functionality is shown on the example of the airborne GRAV-D gravity dataset which is integrated into a global satellite-topographic spherical harmonic model. Conceptually, the method is divided into three steps: firstly, since the processing is based on residuals, a precursor model needs to be identified which is used for reducing the observations. In the actual example a combination between a satellite-only model (GOCO06s) and topographic model (EARTH2014) is chosen (named SATOP2) to ensure independency to the observations. Secondly, the previously reduced (GRAV-D) observations are gridded onto a regular geographic grid making use of the recently developed partition-enhanced least squares collocation approach (PE-LSC). PE-LSC allows an efficient collocation of virtually arbitrary large datasets using a partitioning technique that is optimized for computational performance and for minimizing fringe effects. As a third and last step, the obtained regular grid gets analyzed and combined with a satellite-only model (GOCO06s) on the normal equation level up to d/o 5400. This can be achieved efficiently by using a so-called kite-normal equation system which emerges when combining dense and block-diagonal normal equation systems (assuming equal accuracies for the ground gravity grid). The herby obtained global gravity field model, named SGDT, is dominated by the satellite information in the lower frequencies (up to d/o 200), by GRAV-D in the mid-frequencies (d/o 200-2000) and by the topographic information in the high frequencies (above d/o 2000). The main purpose of the SGDT model is to validate the method itself and to allow a comparison of GRAV-D observations to pre-existing ground-gravity data by synthesizing SGDT to actual observation sites.

How to cite: Roman, D., Li, X., Zingerle, P., Willberg, M., and Pail, R.: Integrating NGS GRAV-D gravity observations into high-resolution global models, EGU General Assembly 2023, Vienna, Austria, 23–28 Apr 2023, EGU23-3363, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu23-3363, 2023.

17:10–17:20
|
EGU23-6403
|
ECS
|
Virtual presentation
Meng Yang, Xiaopeng Li, Miao Lin, Wei Feng, and Min Zhong

The “non-harmonicity” problem, as one of the main problems in the residual terrain modelling (RTM) method, would involve more than 200 mGal errors in the gravity field determination over the Himalaya area. To deal with it, there are five main harmonic correction (HC) methods, i.e., the condensation method, regularized downward continuation method with Taylor series expansions (TS), regularized downward continuation method with spherical harmonics (SH), complete HC method, and Kadlec's method, being provided in previous studies. However, their performances in gravity field determination are not studied nor compared directly yet. In this study, all these five HC methods are completely reviewed and evaluated, especially their performances in regional geoid determination. The expressions of HCs under various approximations are derived, and the Kadlec’s method is proved to be equivalent to the condensation method when adopting the same approximation for Bouguer masses. For the continuation methods, the HC associated with the complete method shows large differences compared to the HC associated with TS and SH methods. This is caused by the fact that the continuation process within the complete method is implemented in the situation of the Earth’s masses being changed. To cope with this problem, we promote a new three-step approach for computing the HC which is proved to be equivalent to the HC using the TS method. Then the HCs with various methods are completely considered and evaluated in the Colorado geoid determination using the remove-compute-restore technique. The best performance is achieved when the SH method is adopted for computing the RTM corrections to gravity anomaly in the removal procedure. The accuracy of the calculated geoid height is ~1.62 cm. Involving HCs for geoid height in the restore procedure would slightly improve the results to an accuracy of ~1.56 cm.

How to cite: Yang, M., Li, X., Lin, M., Feng, W., and Zhong, M.: Harmonic Correction in Regional Gravity Field Determination, EGU General Assembly 2023, Vienna, Austria, 23–28 Apr 2023, EGU23-6403, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu23-6403, 2023.

17:20–17:30
|
EGU23-4935
|
Virtual presentation
Miao Lin, Xiaopeng Li, and Meng Yang

In local and regional quasi-geoid modeling, the residual terrain modeling (RTM) method is often used to remove the short-wavelength gravity field signals from the measured gravity both on the ground and up in the air, in order to obtain the regularized and smooth gravity field which is suited for field interpolation and modeling. Accurate computation of RTM corrections requires a set of fine-tuned parameters in terms of the gravity forward modeling technique, digital elevation model (DEM), reference topography, and integration radius for the inner zone and outer zone. To our limited knowledge, this has not been systematically documented, albeit its importance is obvious. This work aims to clearly investigate the impact of these factors on the RTM correction computation and their effects on the quasi-geoid modeling so to provide practical guidelines for real applications. Two gravity forward modeling techniques, i.e., the prismatic approach and the tesseroidal approach, are employed to investigate the following issues existing in the practical use of the RTM method: ① can a combination of a high-resolution DEM and a DEM with a lower resolution replace the use of a single high-resolution DEM for the RTM correction computation without loss of accuracy? ② how to properly choose the integration radius for the inner zone and outer zone while costing less time and keeping the accuracy? ③ what are the performances of using the reference topographies obtained by the direct averaging, the moving averaging, and the spherical harmonic analysis and synthesis on the RTM correction computation and quasi-geoid determination? For obtaining objective findings, two research regions are selected for this investigation. One is the Colorado area (USA) having quite rugged terrains and the other is the Auvergne area (France) with moderate terrains. The numerical results show that, in the computation of RTM corrections to gravity anomaly and height anomaly, the combination of a dense DEM and a coarse DEM can replace the use of a single dense DEM without loss of accuracy. The increasing and decreasing of the integration radius for the inner zone and outer zone do not influence the RTM correction computation much. The recommended values are 10 km for the inner zone and 111 km for the outer zone. The use of different reference topographies changes RTM corrections, however, the final quasi-geoid models are at the similar accuracy level.

How to cite: Lin, M., Li, X., and Yang, M.: Numerical experiences on using the RTM method in quasi-geoid modeling, EGU General Assembly 2023, Vienna, Austria, 23–28 Apr 2023, EGU23-4935, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu23-4935, 2023.

17:30–17:40
|
EGU23-7431
|
Highlight
|
On-site presentation
Tobias Bauer and Joachim Schwabe and the The European Alps Geoid group

The official national height reference systems in use, apply different definitions of the height and the zero levels refer to different tide gauges and epochs. Additionally, the treatment of the permanent tide is not entirely consistent. This causes differences at the decimetre scale, which also vary along the national borders. The "European Alps Geoid Project" (EAlpG) aims to harmonize the basis for height determination in the Alpine region, including the neighbouring lowlands and the computation of a uniform geoid model according to European standards for height and positioning.

The project is based on the experiences and findings of the predecessor "D-A-CH geoid" project, which covered a test area around Lake Constance. It was a joint initiative of the federal and state authorities responsible for land surveying in Germany, Austria and Switzerland.

First steps of the EAlpG project were the conclusion of the Memorandum of Understanding in May 2022 as well as the initiation of the exchange of gravity and height data. The ambitions of the initiative are therefore to intensify the cooperation’s between the partners in regional gravity field modelling and to provide better information on the transformations between the national height systems. The following activities are planned:

1. Improved cross-border regional geoid model of the Alpine area:

  • Revision and harmonization of the base data for the calculation of the geoid models: gravity data, digital elevation models, control points for validation
  • Cross-border gravity measurements, e.g. Austria, France, Germany, Italy, Switzerland
  • Comparative studies on geoid modeling in high mountains

2. Improved height transformation between the Alpine countries:

  • Extensive comparative investigations and validation between the national height reference surfaces (geoid models and other height transformation grids) and the national and European heights along the borders
  • Derivation of consistent height transformation models accurate to a few centimeters
  • Development of a corresponding web application

The outcomes of the project will support (non-)geodetic users in there cross-border height applications, e.g. ground water level investigations, flood protection. Other important applications for cross-border height standardisation are engineering projects such as tunnels, bridges, supply lines, etc.

The results will be embedded in a pan-European geoid initiative within EUREF. Contributing to the upcoming EUREF Working Group “European Height Reference Surface”, the European Alps Geoid will be one of many cornerstones to build an official EVRS height reference surface.

The EAlpG project is a joint initiative of the national authorities and organization responsible for or involved in the integrated geodetic spatial reference of Austria, Czech Republic, France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Slovakia, Slovenia and Switzerland. The scientific work is supported by various universities in the Alp area.

How to cite: Bauer, T. and Schwabe, J. and the The European Alps Geoid group: The European Alps Geoid (EAlpG) Project – a joint initiative for improved cross-border regional geoid modelling and height transformation, EGU General Assembly 2023, Vienna, Austria, 23–28 Apr 2023, EGU23-7431, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu23-7431, 2023.

17:40–17:50
|
EGU23-9678
|
Highlight
|
On-site presentation
Hezi Sarid, Sagy Dalyot, and Yan-Ming Wang

This research introduces the formation of a Geoid model that is based on terrestrial gravity measurements in Israel and its surroundings, together with shipborne gravity measurements and altimetry data over the Mediterranean Sea, using the EIGEN-6C4 as the reference earth gravity model – the first of a kind effort done in Israel to construct such a model. A challenging aspect for establishing this model for this area - that does not exist elsewhere in the world - is that approximately 20% of Israel's land area is located below sea level, some of which is minus 430 meters, mainly along the Dead Sea Rift. This unique topography requires new and challenging computation theories for gravimetric Geoid determination.

The results yield a standard deviation value of the gravimetric Geoid of 5.7 cm. The model is also successfully calculated in areas with a negative orthometric altitude, which proves for the first time the potential of the developed methodology of obtaining an accurate geoid model. The hybrid Geoid model significantly improves these values, where the standard deviation value is reduced to 2 cm with an error range of 22 cm. The hybrid Geoid model retains the orthometric datum of the control points while relying on gravimetric data to provide better gradient information about the area. The high accuracy of the hybrid Geoid model will allow the integration of the official national Geoid model and the new gravimetric Geoid model to support precise GNSS measurements used for precise infrastructure engineering projects. The gravimetric geoid can recreate a role with other local gravity models developed by countries surrounding Israel.

How to cite: Sarid, H., Dalyot, S., and Wang, Y.-M.: The first Gravity Geoid Model for Israel, EGU General Assembly 2023, Vienna, Austria, 23–28 Apr 2023, EGU23-9678, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu23-9678, 2023.

17:50–18:00
|
EGU23-13423
|
On-site presentation
Georgios S. Vergos, Dimitrios A. Natsiopoulos, Eleni A. Tzanou, Elisavet G. Mamagiannou, Anastasia I. Triantafyllou, Ilias N. Tziavos, Dimitrios Ramnalis, and Vassilios Polychronos

Within the GeoNetGNSS project, funded by the European Union and National Funds through the Region of Central Macedonia (RCM), the main goal is to establish a dense network of Continuously Operating Reference Stations (CORS) in Northern Greece. Accuracy, reliability, wide coverage, ease of use and cost effectiveness are among the main advantages of differential positioning supporting mapping, surveying, geodetic, and large infrastructure projects. However, as ellipsoidal heights from GNSS measurements have no physical meaning, they should be transformed to orthometric heights. This transformation requires an accurate gravimetric geoid model to be readily available, in order to carry-out the so-called GNSS/Leveling, i.e., the determination of orthometric heights without the need to carry out levelling. With that in mind, a regional gravimetric geoid was determined based on historical and newly acquired high-accuracy and density gravity data that have been collected through dedicated gravity campaigns. These were focused not only around the CORS stations but also targeted the entire area of RCM. The gravity observations have been carried out with the CG5 gravity meter relative to absolute gravity stations established using the A10 (#027) absolute gravity meter. The development of the geoid was based in the classical Remove-Compute-Restore (RCR) technique and an FFT-evaluation of Stokes’ integral. The long and short wavelengths of the gravity field spectrum were removed from the available input gravity data, then prediction of the residual geoid was carried out and finally the effects removed have been restored to derive the final model. To model the long-wavelength part of the spectrum, XGM2019e has been used as reference while the topographic effects were evaluated based on a spherical harmonics expansion of the Earth’s potential and ultra-high resolution residual terrain correction (RTC) effects from a global model. The prediction of the geoid model was carried out using the classical 1d-FFT spherical Stokes convolution with the Wong-Gore modification for the Stokes kernel and 100% zero-padding in all directions. Various tests against available collocated GNSS/Leveling observations have been performed to find the optimal cut-off degree while the evaluation of the model was carried out over 533 geodetic benchmarks in the entire study area, where accurate static GNSS observations and orthometric heights from the Hellenic Military Geographic Service (HMGS) were available.

How to cite: Vergos, G. S., Natsiopoulos, D. A., Tzanou, E. A., Mamagiannou, E. G., Triantafyllou, A. I., Tziavos, I. N., Ramnalis, D., and Polychronos, V.: A regional gravimetric geoid model in support of the GeoNetGNSS CORS network, EGU General Assembly 2023, Vienna, Austria, 23–28 Apr 2023, EGU23-13423, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu23-13423, 2023.

Posters on site: Thu, 27 Apr, 16:15–18:00 | Hall X2

Chairpersons: Nico Sneeuw, Hussein Abd-Elmotaal, Georgios Panou
Recent Developments in Geodetic Theory
X2.40
|
EGU23-3384
Nico Sneeuw, Mohammad Tourian, Peyman Saemian, Vagner Ferreira, Frédéric Frappart, and Fabrice Papa

The GRACE and GRACE-FO satellite missions have established mass variations as a fundamentally new observation type for a broad spectrum of applications in Earth science disciplines, including oceanography, geophysics, hydrology and hydrometeorology. Despite its innovation and success in hydrology, the utility of GRACE-derived Terrestrial Water Storage Anomaly (TWSA) and its time derivative Terrestrial Water Storage Flux (TWSF) have mainly been limited to large catchments due to their coarse spatial resolution. 

Here, we propose a method to downscale TWSF and determine its uncertainty within a Bayesian framework by incorporating fine-scale (non-GRACE) data of TWSF and of Soil Moisture Change (SMC) from different available sources. For the Bayesian ingredients, we take GRACE data as the prior and make use of copula models to obtain non-parametric likelihood functions based on the statistical relationship between GRACE TWSF with fine-scale TWSF data and SMC. We apply our method to the Amazon Basin and assess the performances of our products from various fine-scale input datasets of TWSF and SMC. 

Given the lack of ground truth for TWSF, we validate our results against 2 external information sources: (1) space-based observations of Surface Water Storage Change (SWSC) in the Amazon river system and (2) Vertical Crustal Displacements (VCD) observed by the Global Positioning System (GPS). Overall, the results show that the proposed method is able to estimate a downscaled TWSF, which is informed by GRACE and fine-scale data. Validation shows that our downscaled products are better anticorrelated with VCD (-0.81) than fine-scale TWSF (-0.73) and show a mean relative RMSE of 26% with SWSC versus 70% for fine-scale TWSF. 

The proposed methodology, although developed in a context of hydrology and of GRACE data, is generic to a high degree. Within hydrology it can be used for other datasets, which are crucial for hydrological application at regional and local scales. Moreover, the methodology can easily be extended to other disciplines in which downscaling of coarse scale datasets is relevant.

How to cite: Sneeuw, N., Tourian, M., Saemian, P., Ferreira, V., Frappart, F., and Papa, F.: A copula-supported Bayesian framework for spatial downscaling of GRACE-derived terrestrial water storage flux, EGU General Assembly 2023, Vienna, Austria, 23–28 Apr 2023, EGU23-3384, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu23-3384, 2023.

X2.41
|
EGU23-11560
|
Highlight
Divergence of the gradient, solution domain geometry and successive approximations in gravity field studies
(withdrawn)
Petr Holota
X2.42
|
EGU23-12798
Róbert Čunderlík and Martin Bejdák

The boundary element method (BEM) as a numerical method can be applied for high-resolution gravity field modelling. To obtain numerical solutions of “cm-level” accuracy, it requires very refined level of the disretization which leads to enormous memory requirements. An implementation of the Hierarchical Matrices (H-matrices) can significantly reduce a numerical complexity of the BEM approach. Here we present an implementation of the Adaptive Cross Approximation (ACA) algorithm into the direct BEM formulation applied for the global gravity field modelling. The ACA algorithm is based on a multilevel matrix-partitioning scheme of the rank-revealing LU decomposition, which uses a low rank of the submatrix belonging to two far groups of points. The algorithm performs a series of decompositions, which results in an approximation of the original submatrix using the product of two sparse matrices with low ranks. This approach can significantly reduce enormous memory requirements. Numerical experiments present efficiency of the ACA algorithm that can achieve a memory saving of 98% for the very refined meshes.

How to cite: Čunderlík, R. and Bejdák, M.: The ACA algorithm implemented into the direct BEM approach to reduce its numerical complexity, EGU General Assembly 2023, Vienna, Austria, 23–28 Apr 2023, EGU23-12798, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu23-12798, 2023.

X2.43
|
EGU23-3815
Georgios Panou, Jason Koci, and Christos Iossifidis

Spherical harmonics are widely used to represent the gravitational field of the Earth and other celestial bodies. These harmonics include Legendre’s polynomials. However, the numerical computation of these polynomials is a difficult issue, especially to a high degree. In the literature, several algebraic or numerical methods have been proposed to compute Legendre polynomials with acceptable precision within reasonable time, avoiding instabilities due to underflow or overflow problems. These methods have their advantages and disadvantages. For example, cannot be used for parallel computations. In this contribution, we are developing a new scheme for the numerical computation of Legendre polynomials. The problem of underflow/overflow is managed by using trigonometric identities and a technique based on successive ratios. The performance of the proposed scheme is demonstrated by several numerical experiments. In addition, the results are compared with other methods in terms of stability, precision, and speed. Finally, we suggest means for the generalization of the proposed algorithm in the numerical computation of the related Legendre functions for high degrees and orders.

How to cite: Panou, G., Koci, J., and Iossifidis, C.: New scheme for numerical computation of high degree Legendre polynomials, EGU General Assembly 2023, Vienna, Austria, 23–28 Apr 2023, EGU23-3815, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu23-3815, 2023.

X2.44
|
EGU23-1459
|
ECS
Anastasios Tsafaras and Georgios Panou

In the last decade, several numerical methods have been presented that transform Cartesian to geodetic coordinates on a triaxial ellipsoid. In this work, a new method for this transformation is presented. The method is based on ellipsoidal coordinates. To begin with, the Cartesian coordinates of a point are transformed to the respective ellipsoidal through closed analytical formulae. Following, the ellipsoidal coordinates referred to the referenced ellipsoid, approximated by those referred to the confocal ellipsoid passed through the given point. Then, the ellipsoidal coordinates are corrected by iterative and non-iterative formulae which are derived and thoroughly analyzed. After the successive approximations, the ellipsoidal coordinates are used for the computation of the foot point and hence of the geodetic coordinates by well-known formulae. The new method is validated by numerical experiments using an extensive set of points for different ellipsoids.

How to cite: Tsafaras, A. and Panou, G.: Transformation of Cartesian to geodetic coordinates on a triaxial ellipsoid using approximations, EGU General Assembly 2023, Vienna, Austria, 23–28 Apr 2023, EGU23-1459, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu23-1459, 2023.

Gravity Field Estimation (Geoid Determination)
X2.45
|
EGU23-1813
|
Highlight
Hussein Abd-Elmotaal and Norbert Kühtreiber

The coverage of the gravity data plays an important role in the geoid determination process. Still some parts in the world have poor gravity data coverage, with sometimes, large data gaps. Egypt (representing the situation in Africa) has sparse gravity data coverage over relatively large area. This paper tries to answer which type of gravity field signals at which resolution for filling the gaps would give the best geoid determination precision. This outcome is essential for the IAG sub-commission on the gravity and geoid in Africa in order to determine the African geoid with the best possible precision. Different types of gravity field signals have been used. They are gravity, geoid undulation and deflections of the vertical. Different resolutions of these signals are tested. The computed geoid precision for each case has been determined through the least-squares collocation technique (Moritz 1980). The results are shown and comprehensively discussed.

How to cite: Abd-Elmotaal, H. and Kühtreiber, N.: Experiment of filling the data gaps for better geoid determination: Case Study for Egypt (Africa), EGU General Assembly 2023, Vienna, Austria, 23–28 Apr 2023, EGU23-1813, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu23-1813, 2023.

X2.46
|
EGU23-2895
Xiaopeng Li

Since 2014, the National Geodetic Survey started to release experimental geoid models each year based on the new observations collected in the previous year, which are mainly from the contribution of the GRAV-D project (Gravity for the Redefinition of the Vertical Datum). While incorporating large amount of GRAV-D data into these yearly models, the implementation techniques are also polished from year to year, albeit the main architecture is still based on the Molodensky theory, essentially. This paper summarized these main technical improvements on computing local geoid models based on some hands-on experiences. It includes the update of reference models, the stabilization of airborne gravity downward continuation, the modification of residual terrain modeling, the inclusion of density variation effects, and the use of radial basis functions as well as the generalized Stokes’s integration to avoid the higher order terms. Although most of these steps are not totally independent from each other, numerical comparisons are given at each individual step to highlight their specific effects for interested researchers who may need to know the nitty-gritties. Then, the GSVS data are used to demonstrate the overall effects on the final model. Discussions for further improvements will be given at the end of the presentation.

How to cite: Li, X.: Technical Improvements on Local Geoid Model Computation, EGU General Assembly 2023, Vienna, Austria, 23–28 Apr 2023, EGU23-2895, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu23-2895, 2023.

X2.47
|
EGU23-10030
|
ECS
Jordan Krcmaric and Xiaopeng Li

The U.S. National Geodetic Survey (NGS), an office of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), is preparing for the release of a new vertical datum, the North American-Pacific Geopotential Datum of 2022 (NAPGD2022). This new datum will be based on a high degree spherical harmonic model of the Earth’s gravitational potential, and will yield a geoid undulation model (GEOID2022) to calculate orthometric heights from GNSS-derived ellipsoid heights.

A critical component of this new vertical datum is the terrain model that will be used for the geoid computation. Currently, an experimental version of this terrain model has been developed at NGS, the experimental Digital Elevation Model 2022 (xDEM2022). The xDEM2022 is composed of data from TanDEM-X, MERIT, and USGS 3DEP elevation data sets. Bathymetry and Ice thickness data has also been added to the latest version of the xDEM2022. An overview of the xDEM2022 will be presented with comparisons to other independent elevation datasets. Uses of this terrain model for geoid modelling at NGS will also be shown.

How to cite: Krcmaric, J. and Li, X.: The experimental xDEM2022 and its uses for geoid modelling at NGS, EGU General Assembly 2023, Vienna, Austria, 23–28 Apr 2023, EGU23-10030, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu23-10030, 2023.

X2.48
|
EGU23-759
|
ECS
Dorota Marjańska, Janusz Walo, and Tomasz Olszak

In recent years, a significant challenge for geodesy has been the introduction of a global height reference system and the consideration of its regional or national applications. According to the Global Geodetic Observing System (GGOS) recommendations, providing and maintaining accurate and stable reference systems is highly desirable. Positioning of 3D spatial systems with regard to the reference ellipsoid is ensured by stable ITRF realisations and easily transformable local frames (e.g. ETRF). A more demanding task is the unification of vertical datums. The difficulties result from the multitude of height frames, their non-uniformity and usually missing elevation in-time change models. The uniform International Height Reference System aims to achieve an accuracy of 3 mm for heights and 0.3 mm/year for its velocities.

In this study, the authors focused on analysing the possible unification of the Polish national vertical datum (PL-EVRF2007-NH) with the IHRF. For this purpose, various global geopotential models (satellite and high-resolution GGMs) were tested. Their usefulness was checked in the context of the transition from the local system to the system related to the global geoid level recommended in IAG Resolution (No. 1). The impact of direct and indirect use of GGM to determine the normal heights of points in the IHRF frame in the national network was also examined. The first case included testing the possibility of obtaining normal heights based on height anomalies determined directly from the selected geopotential models. The second case involved the unification of systems on a national scale with a determined local ΔW0 value ​​between the level of the PL-EVRF2007-NH and the W0 of IHRS. To obtain reliable results, it was necessary to standardise input data with regard to the assumptions of the IHRS. In addition, a specific variant was tested in which the UELN (United European Leveling Network) points became the basis for a new realisation of the vertical datum in Poland.

The conducted analyses and numerical tests allowed for the formulation of recommendations regarding the methodology of unification of the PL-EVRF2007-NH and IHRF frames in Poland, in particular: evaluating and picking the optimal GGM model, selecting reference points for local height frame, collecting and assessing the quality of normal heights (or geopotential values) data.

How to cite: Marjańska, D., Walo, J., and Olszak, T.: Prospects for the unification of the PL-EVRF2007-NH frame with the International Height Reference System in Poland, EGU General Assembly 2023, Vienna, Austria, 23–28 Apr 2023, EGU23-759, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu23-759, 2023.

Posters virtual: Thu, 27 Apr, 16:15–18:00 | vHall GMPV/G/GD/SM

Chairpersons: Robert Cunderlik, Hussein Abd-Elmotaal, Lisa Dalheimer
Recent Developments in Geodetic Theory
vGGGS.1
|
EGU23-3334
|
Highlight
|
Viktor Popadyev and Samandar Rakhmonov

In the literature, there are discrepancies about the direction in which the telluroid points should be plotted from the ellipsoid for the subsequent calculation of the segment of normal height.

There are three options: forceline of the normal field back, coordinate line of the spheroidal system, normal to the ellipsoid.

Theoretically, the normal gravity field can be successfully used as an orthogonal coordinate system, since its force lines and level surfaces can serve as natural coordinate lines and coordinate surfaces. However, a normal force line does not have two characteristics that would be constant at each of its points with a change in only the third value, as in a conventional orthogonal coordinate system. The normal to the reference ellipsoid plays an important role in solving geometric problems of geodesy, but is of little use in physical matters. It is more convenient to use a curvilinear coordinate system associated with a family of ellipsoids confocal to the reference one, especially since it contains closed expressions for the normal potential of gravity and all derivative elements. The method used so far for calculating the value of the normal height is based on the expansion of the normal gravity in a series using higher derivatives with respect to the geodetic coordinates at the point on the surface of the reference ellipsoid, the expansion error naturally increases with distance from the ellipsoid. This Yeremeyev's formula is often considered as the definition of the normal height while it is only working formula

For the first time, the question of the need to study and refine the method for calculating the normal height was raised by M. Pick and M. I. Yurkina in 2004. In their joint publication, the normal height is refined with respect to the gradient solution, taking into account the expression of the normal potential in the spheroidal system u, v, w (Niven), but there is no calculation of the length of the normal force line segment.

M. I. Yurkina in 2004 gave a similar expression in the system Heiskanen-Moritz, also indicating an explicit expression for the length of the segment of the coordinate line in the same system, however, the control calculations were not performed, so inaccuracies remained unnoticed in the proposed formulas for the auxiliary quantities, resulting in a low accuracy of the expression for the normal height Hγ.

A detailed way contains three steps:

1. Standard calculation by the above Yeremeyev's formula and the corresponding third spheroidal coordinate w′ or b′. This is the first approximation.

2. Refinement of the third spheroidal coordinates of the points on the telluroid from the Molodensky's condition:

the reduced latitude u could be precised consequently.

3. Evaluation of the curvilinear integral from w = w0 to w:

where

[Here was the inaccuracy in the Yurkina M. I. (2004) To refine the height to fractions of a millimeter, this step is absent in the paper Jurkina M. I., Pick M. (2004) Návrh na zpřesnění výpočtu normálních výšek].

How to cite: Popadyev, V. and Rakhmonov, S.: High-precision calculating the normal height as the coordinate line's length, EGU General Assembly 2023, Vienna, Austria, 23–28 Apr 2023, EGU23-3334, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu23-3334, 2023.