The products of global geodesy, such as reference frames, station positions, or mean sea level, allow the temporal and spatial classification of geodynamic processes and thus create significant foundations for Earth system research. The temporal changes of the so-called essential geodetic variables themselves also provide information about the behavior and properties of parts of the Earth system, such as the atmosphere, hydrosphere, solid Earth (geosphere) and cryosphere.
The Higher Geodesy Research Unit focuses on the interactions of the Earth's rotation and gravity field with various components of the Earth system. Of particular interest is the application of future climate projections to estimate the effects of global warming on the Earth's rotational behavior.
Specific contributions to atmosphere research related to the propagation delay of observational signals in the troposphere and ionosphere are addressed in the two other research areas, VLBI and Satellite Navigation with regard to the respective method.