Definition
Geodesy is the discipline that deals with the measurement and representation of the Earth, its gravity field, and geodynamic phenomena (polar motion, Earth tides, and crustal motion) in three-dimensional time varying space.
“Figure of the Earth” in geodesy deals with the representation of the external geometry of the whole planet often also called physical geodesy, without going into the causal mechanisms. On the other hand, engineering geodesy is concerned with measuring specific parts or regions of Earth, which contribute to understanding of geophysical measurements and in turn to geodynamic processes. This article provides a brief description of the former.
Background
The shape of the Earth has always been speculated upon – historical accounts of sailors record that they feared falling off the edge of the Earth if they sailed too far. Early ideas about the figure of the Earth held the Earth to be flat and the heavens a physical dome spanning over it. Two early arguments...
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Arora, K. (2021). Geodesy, Figure of the Earth. In: Gupta, H.K. (eds) Encyclopedia of Solid Earth Geophysics. Encyclopedia of Earth Sciences Series. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-58631-7_83
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-58631-7_83
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