marine research in finland - Baltic Marine Environment Bibliography

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14. RESEARCH IN MARINE GEODESY: THE FINNISH GEODETIC INSTITUTE
Martin Vetmeer
The Finnish Geodetic Institute is the state institute responsible for research in the different fields
of mapping science, for the fundamental geodetic, astronomical and gravimetric measurements
in Finland, and for developing scientific methods of measurement, computation and analysis for
producing, processing and exploiting geographic information.
The main fields of study in marine geodesy are: satellite radar altimetry, the gravity survey on
the sea ice, and Baltic sea level studies using a combination of space geodetic techniques. The
FGI has a permanent staff of around 45, of which some three people are involved in marine geodesy,
all of them part-time.
The most expensive piece of equipment in use for marine geodesy is the Metsahovi satellite laser,
which has made observations using the ERS- 1 and TOPEXiPoseidon satellites. Such observations
are useful for orbit determination.
The Metsahovi Space Geodetic Station at Kylmala, Kirkkonummi (40 km W of Helsinki) also
observes satellites used for marine research and navigation.
The budget of the FGI is 14 MFIM, of which 60% consists of salaries.
14.1. Overview
The Finnish Geodetic Institute’s involvement with marine research has consisted of three main
fields:
• The study, with the aid of satellite altimetry, of the physical sea surface, the marine geoid,
and sea surface variability. The Institute possesses operational software for the processing
of satellite altimetric data alone and together with gravimetry.
• The study, with the aid of tide gauges, precise levelling and GPS (Global Positioning System)
geodetic positioning, of the location of mean sea level and its deviation from the geoid
in coastal tide gauge locations.
• The observation of gravity on the sea ice in the Gulf of Bothnia during winter by helicopter
on the ice surface. Gravimetric geoid determination using the Institute’s software.
The areas of study and projects in the framework of which scientific work has taken place:
• dk2, Africar a Danish-coordinated international consortium formed in response to an
ESA (European Space Agency) Announcement of Opportunity (AO) to
exploit ERS- 1 data (mainly altimetry) and lately, ERS- 112 data in combination.
Areas: North Atlantic, Baltic Sea, Mediterranean; Greenland ice
sheet.
. GEOMED (Geoid in the Mediterranean), a consortium (EU-financed) for geoid
determination in the Mediterranean area, using altimetry, gravimetry,
tidal modelling etc. Finland belongs to this group by virtue of its Baltic
experience.