Präzise Höhenbestimmung des Helgoländer Pegels

Positioning with the NAVSTAR Global Positioning System, together with a detailed geoid model, can be used for a precise height transfer over larger distances at sea. The Helgoland tide gauge established already in 1880 and located in the open sea, has a special significance for mean sea level investigations in the area of the German Bay. Unfortunately, the present height connection to the tide gauges on the German mainland has an error of about 30 cm, which disturbs a common interpretation of mean sea level records in that area. In order to change this situation, a precise height transfer has been carried out between 1991 and 1994, in a project supported by the German Minister for Research and Technology. Dedicated GPS campaigns and a local geoid determination allowed a height connection of Helgoland to the mainland height system with "cm"-accuracy. The geoid height transfer is part of the European Gravimetric Geoid calculated at Institut für Erdmessung (IfE) Hannover, and affected by medium-wave errors of this continental solution, which could be reduced by fitting the geoid to the mainland control system.