Jonas Ågren

The 8th International Comparison of Absolute Gravimeters 2009: the first Key Comparison (CCM.G-K1) in the field of absolute gravimetry

The 8th International Comparison of Absolute Gravimeters (ICAG2009) took place at the headquarters of the International Bureau of Weights and Measures (BIPM) from September to October 2009. It was the first ICAG organized as a key comparison in the framework of the CIPM Mutual Recognition Arrangement of the International Committee for Weights and Measures (CIPM MRA) (CIPM 1999). ICAG2009 was composed of a Key Comparison (KC) as defined by the CIPM MRA, organized by the Consultative Committee for Mass and Related Quantities (CCM) and designated as CCM.G-K1. Participating gravimeters and their operators came from national metrology institutes (NMIs) or their designated institutes (DIs) as defined by the CIPM MRA. A Pilot Study (PS) was run in parallel in order to include gravimeters and their operators from other institutes which, while not signatories of the CIPM MRA, nevertheless play important roles in international gravimetry measurements. The aim of the CIPM MRA is to have international acceptance of the measurement capabilities of the participating institutes in various fields of metrology. The results of CCM.G-K1 thus constitute an accurate and consistent gravity reference traceable to the SI (International System of Units), which can be used as the global basis for geodetic, geophysical and metrological observations of gravity. The measurements performed afterwards by the KC participants can be referred to the international metrological reference, i.e. they are SI-traceable.The ICAG2009 was complemented by a number of associated measurements: the Relative Gravity Campaign (RGC2009), high-precision levelling and an accurate gravity survey in support of the BIPM watt balance project. The major measurements took place at the BIPM between July and October 2009. Altogether 24 institutes with 22 absolute gravimeters (one of the 22 AGs was ultimately withdrawn) and nine relative gravimeters participated in the ICAG/RGC campaign.This paper is focused on the absolute gravity campaign. We review the history of the ICAGs and present the organization, data processing and the final results of the ICAG2009.After almost thirty years of hosting eight successive ICAGs, the CIPM decided to transfer the responsibility for piloting the future ICAGs to NMIs, although maintaining a supervisory role through its Consultative Committee for Mass and Related Quantities.

The European Comparison of Absolute Gravimeters 2011 (ECAG-2011) in Walferdange, Luxembourg: results and recommendations

We present the results of the third European Comparison of Absolute Gravimeters held in Walferdange, Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, in November 2011. Twenty-two gravimeters from both metrological and non-metrological institutes are compared. For the first time, corrections for the laser beam diffraction and the self-attraction of the gravimeters are implemented. The gravity observations are also corrected for geophysical gravity changes that occurred during the comparison using the observations of a superconducting gravimeter. We show that these corrections improve the degree of equivalence between the gravimeters. We present the results for two different combinations of data. In the first one, we use only the observations from the metrological institutes. In the second solution, we include all the data from both metrological and non-metrological institutes. Those solutions are then compared with the official result of the comparison published previously and based on the observations of the metrological institutes and the gravity differences at the different sites as measured by non-metrological institutes. Overall, the absolute gravity meters agree with one another with a standard deviation of 3.1 µGal. Finally, the results of this comparison are linked to previous ones. We conclude with some important recommendations for future comparisons.

The new gravimetric quasigeoid model KTH08 over Sweden

Abstract The least squares modification of Stokes formula has been developed in a series of papers published in Journal of Geodesy between 1984 and 2008. It consists of a least squares (stochastic) Stokes kernel modification with additive corrections for the topography, downward continuation, the atmosphere and the ellipsoidal shape of the Earth. The method, developed at the Royal Institute of Technology (KTH) will here be denoted by the abbreviated name the KTH method. This paper presents the computational results of a new gravimetric quasigeoid model over Sweden (the KTH08 model) by employing the KTH method. Traditionally the Nordic Geodetic Commission (NKG) has computed gravimetric quasigeoid models over Sweden and other Nordic countries; the latest model being NKG 2004. Another aim of this paper is therefore to compare KTH08 and NKG 2004 quasigeoid models and to evaluate their accuracies using GNSS/levelling height anomalies. The rms fit of KTH08 in 196 GNSS data points distributed over Sweden by using a 1(4)-parameter transformation is 22 (20) mm. It is concluded that KTH08 is a significant step forward compared to NKG 2004.

CCM.G-K2 key comparison

In November 2013 an International Key Comparison, CCM.G-K2, was organized in the Underground Laboratory for Geodynamics in Walferdange. The comparison has assembled 25 participants coming from 19 countries and four different continents. The comparison was divided into two parts: the key comparison that included 10 NMIs or DIs, and the pilot study including all participants. The global result given by the pilot study confirms that all instruments are absolutely coherent to each other. The results obtained for the key comparison confirm a good agreement between the NMI instruments. Main text. To reach the main text of this paper, click on Final Report. Note that this text is that which appears in Appendix B of the BIPM key comparison database kcdb.bipm.org/. The final report has been peer-reviewed and approved for publication by CCM, according to the provisions of the CIPM Mutual Recognition Arrangement (CIPM MRA).

Final report of the regional key comparison EURAMET.M.G-K1: European Comparison of Absolute Gravimeters ECAG-2011

During November 2011 a EURAMET key comparison of absolute gravimeters was organized in the Underground Laboratory for Geodynamics in Walferdange, Luxemburg. The comparison assembled 22 participants coming from 16 countries and four different continents. The comparison was divided into two parts: a key comparison that included six National Metrology Institutes or Designated Institutes, and a pilot study including all participants. The global result given by the pilot study confirms that all instruments are absolutely coherent with each other. The results obtained in the key comparison confirm a good agreement between the NMI instruments. Finally, a link to ICAG-2009 shows also that the NMI gravimeters are stable in time. Main text. To reach the main text of this paper, click on Final Report. Note that this text is that which appears in Appendix B of the BIPM key comparison database kcdb.bipm.org/. The final report has been peer-reviewed and approved for publication by the CCM, according to the provisions of the CIPM Mutual Recognition Arrangement (CIPM MRA).

Investigation of Gravity Data Requirements for a 5 mm-Quasigeoid Model over Sweden

When GNSS height determination improves in the future, users will ask for increasingly better geoid models. It is not unlikely that a standard error of 5 mm will more or less be required in a couple of years. The main purpose of this paper is to investigate the gravity data requirements to compute a Swedish gravimetric quasigeoid model to that order. The propagation of errors in the terrestrial gravity observations and the Earth Gravitational Model (EGM) are studied using both variance-covariance analysis in the spectral domain and least squares collocation. These errors are also checked by computing a new gravimetric quasigeoid model and comparing it with GNSS/levelling height anomalies. It is concluded that it will be possible to compute a 5 mm model over Sweden in the case that the gravity data set is updated to fulfil the following requirements: the resolution should be at least 5 km and there should be no data gaps nearby. Finally, the standard errors of the uncorrelated and correlated gravity anomaly noises should be below 0.5 and 0.1 mGal, respectively.

Improving the Swedish Quasigeoid by Gravity Observations on the Ice of Lake Vänern

One of the key activities in Geodesy 2010, the Swedish strategic plan for geodetic activities during the period 2011–2020, is the restoration of the gravity network and data in order to improve the accuracy of the national quasigeoid model. One weak point has been that very few gravity observations have been available over Lake Vanern, Sweden’s largest lake. During the extremely cold winters 2010 and 2011, the ice became sufficiently thick to make ice observation of gravity. The main purpose of this paper is to present the 2011 ice gravity campaign, summarise the experiences made and investigate how much the new ice observations improve the computed quasigeoid model in the area. This is investigated under the assumption that a modern Earth Gravitational Model based on GRACE and GOCE is used. It is found that new ice measurements improve the quasigeoid with a RMS of about 2–3 cm in and around the lake with a maximum improvement of 7 cm.

Investigations of a Suspected Jump in Swedish Repeated Absolute Gravity Time Series

Since 2006 the gravity change at 17 points in Sweden has been observed with Lantmateriet’s absolute gravimeter FG5-233. The main purpose of the observations is to study the postglacial rebound in Fennoscandia. In 2010, a suspected jump of a few μGal can be seen in the gravity time series that significantly affects the estimated gravity rate of changes. It is shown that if the jump is not considered, then the absolute value of the gravity rate of change is systematically underestimated compared to the land uplift model NKG2014LU_test. In this paper two different ways to estimate and apply corrections of the jump are demonstrated. The first is to estimate the jump from the observations themselves within a least squares adjustment, while the second is to assume the instrument bias obtained in international comparisons of absolute gravimeters. The best agreement between land uplift model and estimated rates of change of gravity is achieved by correcting the data with the official biases reported from the international comparisons.