Geoid height of new global gravity field models on the 3D globe (“Earth potato”)

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A geoid is a three-dimensional surface of equal gravity that is perpendicular to the gravity vector’s direction at any point. Since our planet’s mass distribution is not uniform and the direction of gravity changes accordingly, the geoid’s resultant form is irregular. Although there is an endless number of these equipotential surfaces for our planet, the term ‘geoid’ is frequently used to explain the equipotential planet’s surface, which best matches with mean sea level.

The map below created by NASA shows the gravitation field of our planet.

On this animated 3D global gravity map, the planet’s areas with more gravity showed in red while territories with less gravity depicted in blue. The gravity is also exaggeratedly indicated by height for illustration.

The effective gravity on our planet’s surface ranges by about 0.7 percent, from 9.7639 m/s2 on the Nevado Huascarán mountain in Peru to 9.8337 m/s2 at the surface of the Arctic Ocean. In large cities, it varies from 9.766 in Mexico City, Singapore, and Kuala Lumpur to 9.825 in Oslo and Helsinki.