Feasibility of the short ARC adjustment model for precise determinations of the oceanic geoid

Abstract

A key element in any attempt to achieve a0.1 m precision in geoid representation via satellite altimetry is obtaining an ephemeris of comparable precision, or circumventing this requirement by adjusting the ephemeris in some way, together with the geoid. The first possibility requires extensive satellite tracking and involves an enormous number of adjustable parameters in the long arc approach.

The second psssibility allows for a piece-wise treatment of short orbital arcs considered mutually independent, in which slight adjustments of the state vector parameters can compensate for an inherent modeling error. The main question to be answered when pondering the possibility of using the short arc adjustment model in SEASAT-A altimetry reductions is whether or not this method is inherently capable of representing the detailed geoid with0.1 m precision. An analysis of computer simulations provides at least a partial answer to this question by pointing out the necessary conditions in order to achieve the desired precision; under certain favorable circumstances, not described in detail, these conditions could prove to be also sufficient.