Validation of Marine Geoid Models by Profile-wise GNSS Measurements on Ice Surface

Abstract

Ship-board global navigation satellite system (GNSS) measurements are widely used to determine sea surface heights, marine geoid validation, and/or satellite altimetry calibration. However, the use of a vessel could be complicated near coastal areas due to shallow water. Therefore, in the area of sea ice formation, GNSS measurements on the ice surface could be a viable alternative to vessel-borne surveys. Importantly, the ice-covered water is not affected by short-term winds, which otherwise could have systematic influence on the instantaneous sea surface topography. This study tackles methodology and validation of marine geoid models by profile-wise GNSS measurements on ice in an archipelago of the Baltic Sea. The GNSS measurements were carried out on the three ice roads with total length 48 kilometers. The along-route standard deviation between the gravimetric geoid model and profile-wise GNSS heights remained within ±2.1 centimeters.

Keywords:

• Baltic Sea
• GNSS virtual reference station
• kinematic GNSS
• marine geoid
• sea surface height

Acknowledgements

Dr T. Kõuts from the Marine Systems Institute, Tallinn University of Technology, is thanked for the automatic tide gauges data. Two anonymous reviewers are thanked for their constructive comments on the manuscript.

Funding

This study was supported by the Estonian Science Foundation grant ETF 8749: Determination of height reference frame on the Estonian coastal sea using water level monitoring and laser scanning data.