Dynamic Height

Dynamic height is a type of physical height defined from geopotential numbers by dividing the geopotential difference between a point and a reference surface by a conventional constant value of normal gravity. It represents height in terms of potential energy per unit mass rather than purely geometric distance.

In geodesy, dynamic heights are particularly useful in regions where consistent representation of equipotential surfaces is important, such as large-scale hydrology and oceanography. Because points with the same dynamic height lie on the same geopotential surface, dynamic heights ensure physically meaningful water flow representation. They are used in the realization of vertical reference systems and in the integration of leveling data with gravity field information.