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A precise gravimetric geoid model in a mountainous area with scarce gravity data: a case study in central Turkey

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Abstract

In mountainous regions with scarce gravity data, gravimetric geoid determination is a difficult task that needs special attention to obtain reliable results satisfying the demands, e.g., of engineering applications. The present study investigates a procedure for combining a suitable global geopotential model and available terrestrial data in order to obtain a precise regional geoid model for Konya Closed Basin (KCB). The KCB is located in the central part of Turkey, where a very limited amount of terrestrial gravity data is available. Various data sources, such as the Turkish digital elevation model with 3 ″ × 3″ resolution, a recently published satellite-only global geopotential model from the Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment satellite (GRACE) and the ground gravity observations, are combined in the least-squares sense by the modified Stokes’ formula. The new gravimetric geoid model is compared with Global Positioning System (GPS)/levelling at the control points, resulting in the Root Mean Square Error (RMS) differences of ±6.4 cm and 1.7 ppm in the absolute and relative senses, respectively. This regional geoid model appears to be more accurate than the Earth Gravitational Model 2008, which is the best global model over the target area, with the RMS differences of ±8.6 cm and 1.8 ppm in the absolute and relative senses, respectively. These results show that the accuracy of a regional gravimetric model can be augmented by the combination of a global geopotential model and local terrestrial data in mountainous areas even though the quality and resolution of the primary terrestrial data are not satisfactory to the geoid modelling procedure.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Geomatics Engineering, Selcuk University, Konya, Turkey

    Ramazan A. Abbak & Aydin Ustun

  2. Division of Geodesy and Geoinformatics, Royal Institute of Technology, SE-100 44, Stockholm, Sweden

    Lars E. Sjöberg

  3. Geodesy Division, Tallinn University of Technology, Tallinn, Estonia

    Artu Ellmann

Authors
  1. Ramazan A. Abbak
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  2. Lars E. Sjöberg
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  3. Artu Ellmann
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  4. Aydin Ustun
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Correspondence to Ramazan A. Abbak.

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Abbak, R.A., Sjöberg, L.E., Ellmann, A. et al. A precise gravimetric geoid model in a mountainous area with scarce gravity data: a case study in central Turkey. Stud Geophys Geod 56, 909–927 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11200-011-9001-0

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