Gravimetric geoid in the Northwest Pacific Ocean |
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| Authors: | A B Watts A Leeds |
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| Institution: | Lamont-Doherty Geological Observatory, Columbia University, Palisades, New York 10964, USA |
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| Abstract: | Summary. A total of 3708 1 × 1° free-air gravity anomaly averages have been used to construct a new 1 × 1° gravimetric geoid of the Northwest Pacific Ocean. The 1 × 1° averages are based on a compilation of 147000 surface ship and pendulum gravity measurements. The gravimetric geoid reveals information in the geoid of the Northwest Pacific not present in currently used satellite derived models. The RMS difference between the 1 × 1° geoid and satellite derived models is about ±6 m. Difference geoid undulations range from a maximum of +19 m over the Hawaiian ridge to a minimum of −31 m over the junction of the Kuril and Aleutian trenches. The Hawaiian swell is associated with a geoidal high of up to +15 m with wavelengths of about 2200 km and the topographic rises seaward of deep-sea trenches are associated with geoidal highs of up to 4m with wavelengths of about 220–900 km. The main difference between the gravimetric geoid and the satellite derived models occurs over the Pacific basin where discrepancies reach +10 m with wavelengths of 4000 km. The agreement between the gravi-metric geoid and Skylab-4 and Geos-3 altimeter data is close for wavelengths greater than about 300 km but poor for shorter wavelengths. |
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