Testing the relationship between vertical crustal movement and geoid uplift for the Sudetes area

The aim of this study was to examine the relationship between vertical movements of the Earth’s crust and variation in geoid height. Data from the Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE), precise levelling, tidal gauge observations and Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) stations for the Sudetes area were used. The GRACE data provided the possibility of the analysis of geopotential changes. The geoid heights were calculated for the period from April 2002 to March 2016, using data from GeoForschungsZentrum (GFZ) GRACE Level-2 Product Release 05 in the form of spherical harmonic coefficients, truncated at degree and order (d/o) 60. Different filters were used. The calculated geoid change over time has the approximate value of 0.16 mm/y. This value was compared to the expected change in geoid height, determined on the basis of the Earth’s crustal movements.