Quality Estimates in Geoid Computation by EGM08

The high-degree Earth Gravitational Model EGM08 allows for geoid determination with a resolution of the order of 5'. Using this model for estimating the quasigeoid height, we estimate the global root mean square (rms) commission error to 5 and 11 cm, based on the assumptions that terrestrial gravity contributes to the model with an rms standard error of 5 mGal and correlation length 0.01◦ and 0.1◦ , respectively. The omission error is estimated to−0.7∆ḡ [mm], where ∆ḡ is the regional mean gravity anomaly in units of mGal. In case of geoid determination by EGM08, the topographic bias must also be considered. This is because the Earth's gravitational potential, in contrast to its spherical harmonic representation by EGM08, is not a harmonic function at the geoid inside the topography. If a correction is applied for the bias, the main uncertainty that remains is that from the uncertainty in the topographic density, which will still contribute to the overall geoid error.