Research status and analysis of the Earth’s gravity field models

Satellite missions such as the Challenging Minisatellite Payload (CHAMP), Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE), and Gravity Field and Steady-State Ocean Circulation Explorer (GOCE) have significantly improved the observation accuracy and the spatial and temporal resolution of the Earth gravity field models. These advancements have greatly contributed to the refinement and dynamic development of global gravity field modeling. Based on the gravity field model data released by the International Centre for Global Earth Models (ICGEM), this study quantitatively analyzes the development status of global gravity field models. Furthermore, the relative accuracies of models derived from CHAMP, GRACE, GOCE, and their combined observations are compared in terms of internal consistency. The study also discusses various methods and influencing factors that affect model accuracy. The results show that over the past 15 years, Chinese institutions have made remarkable progress in the development of gravity field models, with their contributions accounting for approximately one-fifth of all models released during this period. The accuracy of gravity field models is influenced by several factors, including data quality, data processing techniques, and the temporal coverage of observations. The three satellite missions are complementary across different spectral bands, and the integration of their data leads to models with improved accuracy and comprehensive performance. These combined satellite gravity models offer robust data support for global gravity field studies and a wide range of geoscientific applications.