GRACE: Providing A New View of the Earth

Abstract:

With the launch of GRACE in 2002, we were for the first time able to view the Earth's time-variable mass distribution - providing a truly unique window into a a large number of key processes within the Earth system, many of which are difficult to fully observe in any other way. These processes range from polar ice sheet dynamics and mass balance, hydrological processes including deep aquifers, ocean mass transport, glacial isostatic adjustment, and even large earthquakes. GRACE has provided data that is not only critically valuable on its own, but also as an excellent complement to ocean altimetry, radar, and soil moisture measuements to more fully characterize these complex processes. The value of this data led to the development of the GRACE Follow-On mission, set to launch in 2017. In this talk, we will review the history of gravity mapping from space, the realization of the value of measuring time variable gravity vs the static mean field, the future technologies in this field, and the inextricable linkage between GRACE and other geodetic techniques. We will also highlight the key science findings of the mission.