Comparison of global geopotential models from the champ and grace missions for regional geoid modelling in Turkey

The continuous efforts on establishment and modernization of the geodetic control in Turkey include a number of regional geoid models that have been determined since 1976. The recently released gravimetric Geoid of Turkey, TG03, is used in geodetic applications where GPS-heights need to be converted to the local vertical datum. To reach a regional geoid model with improved accuracy, the selection of the appropriate global geopotential model is of primary importance. This study assesses the performance of a number of recent satellite-only and combined global geopotential models (GGMs) derived from CHAMP and GRACE missions’ data in comparison to the older EGM96 model, which is the underlying reference model for TG03. In this respect, gravity anomalies and geoid heights from the global geopotential models were compared with terrestrial gravity data and low-pass filtered GPS/levelling data, respectively. Also, five new gravimetric geoid models, computed by the Fast Fourier Transform technique using terrestrial gravity data and the geopotential models, were validated at the GPS/levelling benchmarks. The findings were also compared with the validation results of the TG03 model.