Geopotential

Geopotential

Geopotential is the potential of the Earth's gravity field. For convenience it is often defined as "minus" the potential energy per unit mass, so that the gravity vector is obtained as the gradient of this potential, without the minus.

For geophysical applications, gravity is distinguished from gravitation. Gravity is defined as the resultant of gravitation and the centrifugal force caused by the Earth's rotation. The global mean sea surface is close to one of the equipotential surfaces of the geopotential of gravity. This equipotential surface, or surface of constant geopotential, is called the geoid.

For the purpose of satellite orbital mechanics, the geopotential is typically described by a series expansion into spherical harmonics (spectral representation). In this context the geopotential is taken as the potential of the gravitational field of the Earth, that is, leaving out the centrifugal potential.

ee also

* For further details see Geoid and Physical geodesy
* geopotential height


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  • Geopotential height — is a vertical coordinate referenced to Earth s mean sea level an adjustment to geometric height (elevation above mean sea level) using the variation of gravity with latitude and elevation. Thus it can be considered a gravity adjusted height. One… …   Wikipedia

  • Geopotential function — is a function that at each point is equal to a constant minus the energy that would be acquired by a unit mass in falling from rest at infinity to the point in question. The gradient of the geopotential function, which can be obtained by vector… …   Wikipedia

  • geopotential of the tropopause — The point in the standard atmosphere where the temperature stops dropping and becomes constant. This is the dividing line between the troposphere and the stratosphere. It is called the tropopause. Geopotential is the potential energy of a unit… …   Aviation dictionary

  • geopotential — /jee oh peuh ten sheuhl/, n. Physics. the difference between the potential energy of a mass at a given altitude and the potential energy of an identical mass at sea level, equivalent to the energy required to move the mass from sea level to the… …   Universalium

  • geopotential — noun (Meteorology). The work that must be done at a given altitude in raising a unit mass from sea level to that altitude against the earths gravitational field …   Wiktionary

  • geopotential — geo·potential …   English syllables

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