Evaluation of 14th-order harmonics in the geopotential from 18 resonant satellite orbits

Abstract The values of lumped harmonics from the analyses of 18 satellite orbits at 14th-order resonance are used to determine individual tesseral harmonics of order 14 in the Earth’s gravity field. Eight C and five S coefficients are determined for odd degree and six C, S pairs for even degree. The results are most useful in providing the only independent test of the values obtained in recent comprehensive geopotential models. The models of the 1980s are generally consistent with the resonance values, which have lower or comparable standard deviations. The new Goddard Earth Model, GEM-T3, and European model, GRIM4-C1 have much lower standard deviations and show significant differences from our values.