Satellite maps earth ‘real’ shape defined by gravity
A DISTORTED, yet “real” image of our planet has been released by the European Space Agency (ESA). This model is the newest version of the geoid: the shape of the globe described the changing gravitational tug across the surface of the planet.
The ESA defines it as the “surface of an ideal global ocean in the absence of tides and currents, shaped only by gravity.”
The geoid was put together with the help of large amount of data collected by Europe’s GOCE satellite. It has been circling our planet in its low-orbit for two years, mapping its gravity in 3D. Rune Floberghagen, GOCE Mission Manager, said: “This is a highly significant step for the mission. We now look forward to the coming months when additional data will add to the accuracy of the GOCE geoid.”
This high-precision model of the earth’s surface brings with it many promises of scientific application to help understand how the earth works internally, influencing oceans, tectonic plates and the climate.
Scientists believe accurate geiods can help solve mysteries behind the earth’s internal structure and also offer deeper knowledge behind the processes that cause earthquakes.
This model finds major applications in oceanography, as it is a crucial reference for measuring ocean circulation patters and sea level changes. “GOCE will give us dynamic topography and circulation patterns of the oceans with unprecedented quality and resolution. I am confident that these results will help improve our understanding of the dynamics of world oceans,”said Prof. Reiner Rummel, former Head of the Institute for Astronomical and Physical Geodesy at the Technische Universität München.
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