On the Construction of a Synthetic Earth Gravity Model (SEGM)

Abstract

A synthetic Earth gravity model (SEGM), based on realistic-as-possible information and assumptions about the mass distribution of the Earth, generates self-consistent gravity field quantities. Therefore, such a model is well suited to validate the theories and methods used in practical gravity field determination. This paper describes the theoretical and practical methods required to construct an SEGM using recently available data on the Earth's mass distribution. The approach presented is a first attempt to construct an SEGM purely by forward gravity field modelling. Numerical results will be given for global synthetic geoid heights and gravity anomalies, which show common features with EGM96.