Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Changes in the position of the geocentre due to variations in sea-level

  • Published:
Bulletin géodésique Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

The hydrostatic equation is used to show that load departures on the ocean floor due solely to the oceans may be determined from the excess of recorded over steric sea-level and a representative density. The effect of these departures on the position of the geocentre is estimated using formulae derived by Stolz (1976) and data compiled from Pattullo et al. (1955) and Pattullo (1960; 1963). The resulting maximum seasonal position change turns out to be about 2mm. Addition of the results calculated here and those published earlier by Stolz (1976) indicates that the maximum geocentre motion due to seasonal variations in air mass, ground water and sea-level is about 5mm, which is about an order smaller than the point-coordination accuracy modern high-precision geodesy aims to achieve.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

Bibliography

  • A.E. GILL & P.P. NIILER, 1973: The Theory of the Seasonal Variability in the Ocean, Deep-Sea Res. 20, 141–177.

    Google Scholar 

  • E. LISITZIN, 1974:Changes in Seal Level, Elsevier.

  • H.J. McLELLAN, 1965:Elements of Physical Oceanography, Pergamon Press.

  • J. PATTULLO, W. MUNK, R. REVELLE & E. STRONG, 1955: The Seasonal Oscillation in Sea Level, J. Mar. Res. 14, 88–155.

    Google Scholar 

  • J. PATTULLO, 1960: Seasonal Variation in Sea Level in the Pacific Ocean During the International Geophysical Year, 1957–1958, J. Mar. Res. 18, 168–184.

    Google Scholar 

  • J. PATTULLO, 1963: Seasonal Changes in Sea Level, inThe Sea, 2, M. N. Hill, Ed., Interscience.

  • A. STOLZ, 1975: Geodetic Uses of Lunar Ranging, Bull. Géodés., 115, 5–16.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • A. STOLZ, 1976: Changes in the Position of the Geocentre Due to Seasonal Variations in Air Mass and Ground Water, Geophys. J. R. astr. Soc. 44, 19–26.

    Google Scholar 

  • W. STURGES, 1974: Sea-Level Slope Along Contimental Boundaries, Journal of Geophysical Research 79, 825–830.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • W. STURGES, 1976: Private Communication.

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia

    A. Stolz

Authors
  1. A. Stolz
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Stolz, A. Changes in the position of the geocentre due to variations in sea-level. Bull. Geodesique 50, 159–168 (1976). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02522315

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Revised:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02522315

Keywords

Search

Navigation