Geodetic Boundary Value Problem

The paper starts with an introduction recalling the historical definitions of the geodetic boundary value problem to arrive at the foundation of the so-called Scalar Molodensky Boundary Value Problem, in its fully nonlinear form (SMP). The problem is then linearized and slightly modified by introducing further data in terms of the first degrees of harmonic coefficients of the asymptotic expansion of the potential and a suitable set of unknowns, along with the idea of Hörmander’s analysis of the problem. In Sect. 3 a simplified formulation of the Linear Scalar Molodensky Problem (LSMP) based on a spherical approximation is introduced, together with suitable topologies for data and unknowns. Such simplified Molodensky Problem is then analyzed proving the existence, uniqueness, and stability of the solution. Finally the LSMP is analyzed too by a perturbation of the simplified version. The geometric conditions that emerge from the above analysis show roughly that the basic theorem holds when the approximate telluroid S ̃ $$\tilde{S}$$ used for the linearization has a maximum inclination of 60∘ with respect to the vertical and the coefficients of the first 12 degrees are also provided as data.