SRTM2gravity: An Ultrahigh Resolution Global Model of Gravimetric Terrain Corrections

Abstract

Abstract We present a new global model of spherical gravimetric terrain corrections that take into account the gravitational attraction of Earth's global topographic masses at 3″ (~90 m) spatial resolution. The conversion of Shuttle Radar Topography Mission‐based digital elevation data to implied gravity effects relies on the global evaluation of Newton's law of gravitation, which represents a computational challenge for 3″ global topography data. We tackled this task by combining spatial and spectral gravity forward modeling techniques at the 0.2‐mGal accuracy level and used advanced computational resources in parallel to complete the 1 million CPU‐hour‐long computation within ~2 months. Key outcome is a 3″ map of topographic gravity effects reflecting the total gravitational attraction of Earth's global topography at ~28 billion computation points. The data, freely available for use in science, teaching, and industry, are immediately applicable as new in situ terrain correction to reduce gravimetric surveys around the globe.