On The Accuracy Of Current Mean Sea Surface Models For The Use With Goce Data

The mean sea surface (MSS) is a fundamental parameter in geodesy and physical oceanography and knowledge about the error on the MSS is fundamental for the interpretation of GOCE geoid model for the study of large scale ocean circulation. The MSS is the sum of the geoid height G and the temporal mean of the ocean mean dynamic topography (MDT) like MSS = G + MDT, where the MDT is the quantity bridging the geoid and the MSS and the quantity constraining large scale ocean circulation.

In order to evaluate the accurate of satellite derived ocean currents from the difference between the MSS and the new and future GOCE geoids it is of fundamental importance to know the error on the MSS. In this presentation, preliminary results investigating the various contributions to MSS model differences as well as quantifying the various contributions to the total MSS error are characterized and the error sources are analyzed with respect to magnitude and scale.