Tracking of geodetic height of sea level in the west of Java Sea, Indonesia: A preliminary assessment

Abstract

This paper assesses the agreement between observed heights of sea level from Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) and a global model of Mean Sea Surface (MSS). The assessment of the agreement is carried out according to the direct comparison between the height of MSS model and the geodetic height of actual sea level. Here, MSS is generated according to Gravity Recovery And Climate Experiment (GRACE) Gravity Model (GGM) and Mean Dynamic Ocean Topography (MDOT). The tracking of geodetic heights of actual sea level are done by Wide Area Differential (WA D) and Real Time Precise Point Positioning (RTPPP) Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) along an approximately 180 Nm SW-NE transect of away-return ship track in the west of the Java Sea, Indonesia. It is found that the overall agreement between geodetic height of sea level and MSS observed by WA DGNSS is 7.5 cm (away tracking), while those observed by RTPPP GNSS is 39.5 cm (away tracking) and 36.0 cm (return tracking). This work recommends selection of the best-fit tide model and careful examination on the dynamics of antenna offset due to vessel attitude.