Comparison between gravity gradients from dense CryoSat-2 altimetry and from shipborne gradiometry

Abstract

Satellite altimetry is a tool to gather information about Earth’s oceans and ice coverage on a global extent. Altimetric data can be used to monitor ice sheet changes, create bathymetric maps or analyze the sea surface. Extensive comprehension of the vast masses of water on Earth will benefit not only geodetic but also various scientific aspects. This paper will deal with altimetric data collected by ESA’s satellite CryoSat-2. The satellite is designed to perform measurements of both ocean surface and ice sheets. Vertical gravity gradients will be calculated on the basis of sea surface height measurement. The area of interest is located between Faroe Islands and Shetland Islands north of Scotland. The created vertical gravity gradients will be compared with a dataset collected by Bell Geospace via shipborne gradiometry. Satellite altimetry enables a rather convenient acquisition of global data compared to traditional gradiometric methods. The main objective is to find out whether satellite altimetry is a viable alternative to generate gravity gradient data on a global extent.