A radar altimeter tracking loop, such as that utilized by Geosat, produces height errors in the presence of persistent height acceleration ha. The correction factor for the height error is a function of both the loop feedback parameters and the height acceleration. The correction, in meters, to the sea surface height derived from Geosat is -0.16ha, where ha is in meters per second per second. The errors induced by accelerations are produced primarily by changes in along-track geoid slopes. The nearly circular Geosat orbit and dynamic ocean topography produce small height acceleration values. Methods of using sea surface tracking data from Geosat and altimeter tracker simulation to calculate ha have been evaluated over various time intervals and topographically interesting geoid areas. One of the areas studied in some detail encompasses the Marianas Trench and the Challenger Deep, in the west central Pacific Ocean. Histograms of sea surface height corrections due to range accelerations have also been determined from 24-hour segments of Geosat global data. The findings are that 20% of the Geosat measurements have acceleration-induced errors of ≥2 cm, while 8% have errors of ≥3 cm. ¿ American Geophysical Union 1990