Detailed bathymetry is essential for understanding physical oceanography and marine geophysics.
Currents and tides are controlled by the overall shapes of the ocean basins as well as the smaller sharp ocean ridges and seamounts. Improve the resolution of the marine gravity field using enhanced estimates along repeat altimeter profiles together with the dense altimeter measurements. This will also include the best available digital land data. These topographic features effect the flow of the the Antarctic Circumploar Current. Ship soundings used in the bathymetric prediction.