Europe's Goce satellite is returning remarkable new data on the way the pull of gravity varies across the Earth.
Scientists say its first maps clearly show details not seen in previous space and ground measurements.
Goce was launched by the European Space Agency (Esa) in March from the Plesetsk Cosmodrome in north-west Russia.
Its information is expected to bring new insights into how the oceans move, and to frame a universal system to measure height anywhere on the planet.
Researchers who study geological processes, such as earthquakes and volcanoes, will also make use of the data.
The first maps built from Goce observations were presented at the American Geophysical Union's (AGU) recent Fall Meeting, the world's largest annual gathering of Earth scientists...
