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In terrestrial studies, Bouguer gravity data is routinely computed by adopting various numerical schemes, starting from the most basic concept of approximating the actual topography by an infinite Bouguer plate, through adding a planar terrain correction to account for a local/regional terrain geometry, to more advanced schemes that involve the computation of the topographic gravity correction by taking into consideration a gravitational contribution of the whole topography while adopting a spherical (or ellipsoidal) approximation. Moreover, the topographic density information has significantly improved the gravity forward modeling and interpretations, especially in polar regions (by accounting for a density contrast of polar glaciers) and in regions characterized by a complex geological structure. Whereas in geodetic studies (such as a gravimetric geoid modeling) only the gravitational contribution of topographic masses above the geoid is computed and subsequently removed from observed (free-air) gravity data, geophysical studies focusing on interpreting the Earth's inner structure usually require the application of additional stripping gravity corrections that account for known anomalous density structures in order to reveal an unknown (and sought) density structure or density interface. In planetary studies, numerical schemes applied to compile Bouguer gravity maps might differ from terrestrial studies due to two reasons. While in terrestrial studies the topography is defined by physical heights above the geoid surface (i.e., the geoid-referenced topography), in planetary studies the topography is commonly described by geometric heights above the geometric reference surface (i.e., the geometric-referenced topography). Moreover, large parts of a planetary surface have negative heights. This obviously has implications on the computation of the topographic gravity correction and consequently Bouguer gravity data because in this case the application of this correction not only removes the gravitational contribution of a topographic mass surplus, but also compensates for a topographic mass deficit. In this study, we examine numerically possible options of computing the topographic gravity correction and consequently the Bouguer gravity data in planetary applications. In agreement with a theoretical definition of the Bouguer gravity correction, the Bouguer gravity maps compiled based on adopting the geoid-referenced topography are the most relevant. In this case, the application of the topographic gravity correction removes only the gravitational contribution of the topography. Alternative options based on using geometric heights, on the other hand, subtract an additional gravitational signal, spatially closely correlated with the geoidal undulations, that is often attributed to deep mantle density heterogeneities, mantle plumes or other phenomena that are not directly related to a topographic density distribution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In geodesy, the geoid and the quasigeoid are used as a reference surface for heights. Despite some similarities between these two concepts, the differences between the geoid and the quasigeoid (i.e. the geoid-to-quasigeoid correction) have to be taken into consideration in some specific applications which require a high accuracy. Over the world's oceans and marginal seas, the quasigeoid and the geoid are identical. Over the continents, however, the geoid-to-quasigeoid correction could reach up to several metres especially in the mountainous, polar and geologically complex regions. Various methods have been developed and applied to compute this correction regionally in the spatial domain using detailed gravity, terrain and crustal density data. These methods utilize the gravimetric forward modelling of the topographic density structure and the direct/inverse solutions to the boundary-value problems in physical geodesy. In this article, we provide a brief summary of existing theoretical and numerical studies on the geoid-to-quasigeoid correction. We then compare these methods with the newly developed procedure and discuss some numerical and practical aspects of computing this correction. In global applications, the geoid-to-quasigeoid correction can conveniently be computed in the spectral domain. For this purpose, we derive and present also the spectral expressions for computing this correction based on applying methods for a spherical harmonic analysis and synthesis of global gravity, terrain and crustal structure models. We argue that the newly developed procedure for the regional gravity-to-potential conversion, applied for computing the geoid-to-quasigeoid correction in the spatial domain, is numerically more stable than the existing inverse models which utilize the gravity downward continuation. Moreover, compared to existing spectral expressions, our definition in the spectral domain takes not only the terrain geometry but also the mass density heterogeneities within the whole Earth into consideration. In this way, the geoid-to-quasigeoid correction and the respective geoid model could be determined more accurately. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]