GOCO06s – A satellite-only global gravity field model

Abstract

Abstract. GOCO06s is the latest satellite-only global gravity field model computed by the GOCO (Gravity Observation Combination) project. It is based on over a billion observations acquired over 15 years from 19 satellites with different complementary observation principles. This combination of different measurement techniques is key in providing consistent high-accuracy and best possible spatial resolution of the Earth's gravity field. The motivation for the new release was in the availability of reprocessed observation data for GRACE and GOCE, updated background models, and substantial improvements in the processing chains of the individual contributions. Due to the long observation period, the model consists not only of a static gravity field, but comprises additionally modeled temporal variations. These are represented by time variable spherical harmonic coefficients, using a deterministic model for a regularized trend and annual oscillation. The main focus within the GOCO combination process is on the proper handling of the stochastic behavior of the input data. Appropriate noise modelling for the used observations result in realistic accuracy information for the derived gravity field solution. This accuracy information, represented by the full variance-covariance matrix, is extremely useful for further combination with, for example, terrestrial gravity data and is published together with the solution. The primary model data (Kvas et al., 2019b) consisting of potential coefficients representing Earth's static gravity field, together with secular and annual variations are available on International Centre for Global Earth Models (http://icgem.gfz-potsdam.de/, last accessed 2020-06-11). This data set is identified with the DOI https://doi.org/10.5880/ICGEM.2019.002. Supplementary material consisting of the full variance-covariance matrix of the static potential coefficients and estimated co-seismic mass changes are available on https://ifg.tugraz.at/GOCO (last accessed 2020-06-11).

GRACE Follow‐On Accelerometer Data Recovery

“…Figure 13 shows the degree variances for July 2020 ( β ′ = −0.4°) with respect to the static gravity field GOCO06s (Kvas et al., 2021). Compared to the preliminary solution, ITSG‐Grace2018 with in‐house computed ACT1B performs better in terms of noise over all spherical harmonic degrees, with the largest differences in degrees 2 and 3.…”

GRACE Follow‐On Laser Ranging Interferometer Measurements Uniquely Distinguish Short‐Wavelength Gravitational Perturbations

“…For TVG, we used the JPL monthly L2 solutions to SH degree 96 obtained from KBR data (Yuan, 2019). For modeling the residual static gravity signal, we used the difference between an Earth gravity field model, for example, GOCO06s (Kvas et al, 2019), and GGM05C. The model LGD was obtained from the SH coefficients of time-variable and residual static gravity models (Ghobadi-Far et al, 2018).…”

“…We evaluated six recently developed global mean gravity field models by comparing with KBR and LRI measurements in terms of LGD. The following models are considered in this study ( Figure S2): GGM05S (Ries et al, 2016), GGM05C (Ries et al, 2016), ITSG-Grace2018s (Mayer-Gürr et al, 2018), GOCE-TIM-R06e (Zingerle et al, 2019), EIGEN-6C4 (Förste et al, 2014), and GOCO06s (Kvas et al, 2019). See Text S1 in Supporting Information for details of data, methods, and full description of these mean gravity field models.…”

Mapping the Thermal Structure of the Amazon Craton to Constrain the Tectonic Domains

“…Crustal scale Breaks are highlighted in black. (c) Bouguer anomaly of the GOCO06s model (Kvas et al., 2021). (d) Slice of 135 km of the p ‐wave velocity model of I. S. L. Costa et al., 2020.…”