Marine Gravity Field Modeling Using SWOT Altimetry Data in South China Sea

The Surface Water and Ocean Topography (SWOT) satellite delivers an unprecedented spatial resolution, offering new opportunities for advanced marine gravity field modeling. This study investigates the application of SWOT observational data by computing deflections of the vertical (DOVs) using the ei...

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Main Authors: Zejie Tu, Tao Jiang, Fuxi Zhao
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2025-04-01
Series:Journal of Marine Science and Engineering
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2077-1312/13/5/827
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author Zejie Tu
Tao Jiang
Fuxi Zhao
author_facet Zejie Tu
Tao Jiang
Fuxi Zhao
author_sort Zejie Tu
collection DOAJ
description The Surface Water and Ocean Topography (SWOT) satellite delivers an unprecedented spatial resolution, offering new opportunities for advanced marine gravity field modeling. This study investigates the application of SWOT observational data by computing deflections of the vertical (DOVs) using the eight-directional geoid gradient method, followed by gravity field inversion through the inverse Vening–Meinesz (IVM) formula. Experimental results in the South China Sea region demonstrate that SWOT DOVs, based on 19 observation cycles, achieved accuracies of 0.86 arcseconds for the east–west component <inline-formula><math xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" display="inline"><semantics><mi>η</mi></semantics></math></inline-formula> and 0.77 arcseconds for the north–south component <inline-formula><math xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" display="inline"><semantics><mi>ξ</mi></semantics></math></inline-formula>. The marine gravity field inversion accuracy reached 4.97 mGal, comparable to the multi-source altimetry-derived model SIO_v32.1. Further analysis reveals that the primary contributions of SWOT DOVs are observed within the 3.5–20 km wavelength band, with cross-track systematic errors identified as the key factor influencing both DOV calculations and gravity anomaly inversion. Additionally, extending the SWOT observation period enhances DOV accuracy, particularly for the <inline-formula><math xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" display="inline"><semantics><mi>η</mi></semantics></math></inline-formula>. These findings highlight the potential of SWOT data in advancing high-resolution marine gravity field modeling.
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institution Kabale University
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spelling doaj-art-458c3fa7b52d4083baad4be213fa548a2025-08-20T03:47:58ZengMDPI AGJournal of Marine Science and Engineering2077-13122025-04-0113582710.3390/jmse13050827Marine Gravity Field Modeling Using SWOT Altimetry Data in South China SeaZejie Tu0Tao Jiang1Fuxi Zhao2College of Geodesy and Geomatics, Shandong University of Science and Technology, Qingdao 266590, ChinaCollege of Geodesy and Geomatics, Shandong University of Science and Technology, Qingdao 266590, ChinaCollege of Geodesy and Geomatics, Shandong University of Science and Technology, Qingdao 266590, ChinaThe Surface Water and Ocean Topography (SWOT) satellite delivers an unprecedented spatial resolution, offering new opportunities for advanced marine gravity field modeling. This study investigates the application of SWOT observational data by computing deflections of the vertical (DOVs) using the eight-directional geoid gradient method, followed by gravity field inversion through the inverse Vening–Meinesz (IVM) formula. Experimental results in the South China Sea region demonstrate that SWOT DOVs, based on 19 observation cycles, achieved accuracies of 0.86 arcseconds for the east–west component <inline-formula><math xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" display="inline"><semantics><mi>η</mi></semantics></math></inline-formula> and 0.77 arcseconds for the north–south component <inline-formula><math xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" display="inline"><semantics><mi>ξ</mi></semantics></math></inline-formula>. The marine gravity field inversion accuracy reached 4.97 mGal, comparable to the multi-source altimetry-derived model SIO_v32.1. Further analysis reveals that the primary contributions of SWOT DOVs are observed within the 3.5–20 km wavelength band, with cross-track systematic errors identified as the key factor influencing both DOV calculations and gravity anomaly inversion. Additionally, extending the SWOT observation period enhances DOV accuracy, particularly for the <inline-formula><math xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" display="inline"><semantics><mi>η</mi></semantics></math></inline-formula>. These findings highlight the potential of SWOT data in advancing high-resolution marine gravity field modeling.https://www.mdpi.com/2077-1312/13/5/827marine gravity fieldgeoid gradientdeflections of the verticalsatellite geodesyinverse Vening–Meinesz
spellingShingle Zejie Tu
Tao Jiang
Fuxi Zhao
Marine Gravity Field Modeling Using SWOT Altimetry Data in South China Sea
Journal of Marine Science and Engineering
marine gravity field
geoid gradient
deflections of the vertical
satellite geodesy
inverse Vening–Meinesz
title Marine Gravity Field Modeling Using SWOT Altimetry Data in South China Sea
title_full Marine Gravity Field Modeling Using SWOT Altimetry Data in South China Sea
title_fullStr Marine Gravity Field Modeling Using SWOT Altimetry Data in South China Sea
title_full_unstemmed Marine Gravity Field Modeling Using SWOT Altimetry Data in South China Sea
title_short Marine Gravity Field Modeling Using SWOT Altimetry Data in South China Sea
title_sort marine gravity field modeling using swot altimetry data in south china sea
topic marine gravity field
geoid gradient
deflections of the vertical
satellite geodesy
inverse Vening–Meinesz
url https://www.mdpi.com/2077-1312/13/5/827
work_keys_str_mv AT zejietu marinegravityfieldmodelingusingswotaltimetrydatainsouthchinasea
AT taojiang marinegravityfieldmodelingusingswotaltimetrydatainsouthchinasea
AT fuxizhao marinegravityfieldmodelingusingswotaltimetrydatainsouthchinasea