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High-Degree Models of the Earth’s Gravity Field: History of Development, Assessment of Prospects and Resolution

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The article provides a generalized retrospective of creating global models of the Earth’s gravity field using satellite methods and modern global ultra-high-degree models; the most promising new solutions are considered. The main attention is given to reviewing techniques that affect the resolution of satellite methods, their development, and ways of further improvement. Modern combined models of the Earth’s gravity field, which also include altimetry data, instrumental surveys and global topography, are most interesting. The areas of possible practical application of global models and applied problems solved with their help depend on an understanding of the nature of model data and methods for their modification. At present, the resolution of models up to 5540 degrees of field expansion in spherical harmonics is achievable; however, high values of their degree and order do not always determine the reliability of the presented model data (not verified by direct measurements). Therefore, along with the highest-degree solutions, this article considers most of the known models of the Earth’s gravity field and their most characteristic modifications.

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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

The authors thank the reviewers for constructive comments and suggestions.

Funding

This study was carried out under the state task of IPE RAS and supported by the Russian Foundation for Basic Research (project nos. 19-35-51014, 20-05-00524).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Schmidt Institute of Physics of the Earth of the Russian Academy of Sciences, 123242, Moscow, Russia

    P. S. Mikhailov, V. N. Koneshov, V. V. Pogorelov, A. A. Spesivtsev, V. N. Solovyev & L. K. Zheleznyak

  2. Sirius University of Science and Technology, 354340, Sochi, Russia

    P. S. Mikhailov, V. V. Pogorelov & A. A. Spesivtsev

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  1. P. S. Mikhailov
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  2. V. N. Koneshov
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  5. V. N. Solovyev
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Mikhailov, P.S., Koneshov, V.N., Pogorelov, V.V. et al. High-Degree Models of the Earth’s Gravity Field: History of Development, Assessment of Prospects and Resolution. Seism. Instr. 57, 446–461 (2021). https://doi.org/10.3103/S0747923921040083

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