The Evaluation of Sea Surface Topography Models based on the Combination of the Satellite altimetry and the Global Geoid Models in the Persian Gulf

Document Type : Original Research Paper

Authors

1 Islamic Azad University, North Tehran Branch, Department of Hydrography, Tehran, Iran

2 University of Zanjan,Division of Cartography, Zanjan, Iran

3 Royal Institute of Technology, Division of Geodesy and Geomatics, Stockholm, Sweden

Abstract

One of the difficulties in using absolute altitudes is the separation between the mean open sea
level and geoid. Theoretically, geoid is the base level in absolute altitudes, but practically, the mean open sea
level is used as a base level for absolute altitudes. The difference between these two levels is called as the sea
surface topography. In this research, it is dealt the mean sea level modeling by using the observations of three
altimeter satellites (i.e. Topex/Poseidon, Jason-1 and GFO) in Persian Gulf and then it is dealt with the
evaluation of existing models of the sea surface topography based on the altimeter satellites data and the global
geopotential geoid models (i.e. European Improved Gravity model of the Earth by New techniques, Gravity
field and steady-state Ocean Circulation Explorer, Earth Gravitational Model 2008. The results of this research
indicate that the sea surface topographical model resulting from the EIGEN06C geoid is the most precise
model with changes range between -2.482 m and -1.511 m and mean -0.23 m.

Keywords