HIGHER-DEGREE REFERENCE FIELD IN THE GENERALIZED STOKES-HELMERT SCHEME FOR GEOID COMPUTATION

In this paper we formulate two corrections that have to be applied to the higher-degree reference spheroid if one wants to use it in conjunc tion with the Stokes-Helmert scheme for geoid determination. We show t hat in a precise geoid determination one has to apply the correction f or the residual topographical potential and the correction for the ear th ellipticity. Both these corrections may reach several decimetres; w e show how their magnitudes vary within Canada and we give their globa l ranges.