A high-resolution time-variable terrestrial gravity field model of continental North China

Abstract

Abstract Given the spatial resolution of ~300 km in Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) measurements, accurately quantifying mass variations at smaller scales proves challenging. Here, we present a high-resolution time-variable gravity field model of continental North China. This model, denoted as IGP-NorthChina2022TG, contains 15 gravity field solutions determined using an innovative approach that relies on terrestrial gravity measurements and Slepian basis functions. IGP-NorthChina2022TG provides degree 150 gravity changes (spatial resolution of ~120 km) on a semi-annual basis from September 2009 to September 2016, in contrast to the monthly degree 60 GRACE solutions. Despite their different temporal resolutions, the good agreement between GRACE and the ground-based results up to degree 60 confirms the robustness and reliability of the proposed method and favors the combination of these two types of measurements. The gravity changes with much finer spatial resolution from IGP-NorthChina2022TG could complement GRACE solutions for sub-regional scale investigations in North China.