TY - JOUR
T1 - Applications and Challenges of GRACE and GRACE Follow-On Satellite Gravimetry
AU - Chen, Jianli
AU - Cazenave, Anny
AU - Dahle, Christoph
AU - Llovel, William
AU - Panet, Isabelle
AU - Pfeffer, Julia
AU - Moreira, Lorena
N1 - Funding Information:
The authors are grateful to the two reviewers (Martin Horwath and Bert Wouters) and Associate Editor Nico Sneeuw for their comprehensive and insightful comments, which have led to improved organization and presentation of the results. This paper is an outcome of the workshop “Probing the Deep Earth Interior by using in synergy observations of the Earth’s gravity and magnetic fields, and of the Earth’s rotation” held at the International Space Science Institute (ISSI, Bern, Switzerland) on 1-4 September 2020. This project received funding from the European Research Council (ERC) under the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation program (GRACEFUL Synergy Grant agreement No 855677). JC was supported by the NASA GRACE and GRACE Follow-On Projects (under contract # NNL14AA00C and JPL subcontract # 1478584), and NASA ESI and GRACE Follow-On Science Team Programs (NNX17AG96G, 80NSSC20K1128 and 80NSSC20K0820). WL was supported by the French national program LEFE (Les Enveloppes Fluides de l’Environnement)—GMMC (Groupe Mission Mercator-Coriolis) by the CRATERE project. IP was supported by CNES, focused on the GRACE/GRACE-Follow-On missions. LM is supported by a post-doctoral fellowship from the International Space Science Institute (ISSI).
Publisher Copyright:
© 2021, The Author(s).
PY - 2022/2
Y1 - 2022/2
N2 - Time-variable gravity measurements from the Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) and GRACE Follow-On (GRACE-FO) missions have opened up a new avenue of opportunities for studying large-scale mass redistribution and transport in the Earth system. Over the past 19 years, GRACE/GRACE-FO time-variable gravity measurements have been widely used to study mass variations in different components of the Earth system, including the hydrosphere, ocean, cryosphere, and solid Earth, and significantly improved our understanding of long-term variability of the climate system. We carry out a comprehensive review of GRACE/GRACE-FO satellite gravimetry, time-variable gravity fields, data processing methods, and major applications in several different fields, including terrestrial water storage change, global ocean mass variation, ice sheets and glaciers mass balance, and deformation of the solid Earth. We discuss in detail several major challenges we need to face when using GRACE/GRACE-FO time-variable gravity measurements to study mass changes, and how we should address them. We also discuss the potential of satellite gravimetry in detecting gravitational changes that are believed to originate from the deep Earth. The extended record of GRACE/GRACE-FO gravity series, with expected continuous improvements in the coming years, will lead to a broader range of applications and improve our understanding of both climate change and the Earth system.
AB - Time-variable gravity measurements from the Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) and GRACE Follow-On (GRACE-FO) missions have opened up a new avenue of opportunities for studying large-scale mass redistribution and transport in the Earth system. Over the past 19 years, GRACE/GRACE-FO time-variable gravity measurements have been widely used to study mass variations in different components of the Earth system, including the hydrosphere, ocean, cryosphere, and solid Earth, and significantly improved our understanding of long-term variability of the climate system. We carry out a comprehensive review of GRACE/GRACE-FO satellite gravimetry, time-variable gravity fields, data processing methods, and major applications in several different fields, including terrestrial water storage change, global ocean mass variation, ice sheets and glaciers mass balance, and deformation of the solid Earth. We discuss in detail several major challenges we need to face when using GRACE/GRACE-FO time-variable gravity measurements to study mass changes, and how we should address them. We also discuss the potential of satellite gravimetry in detecting gravitational changes that are believed to originate from the deep Earth. The extended record of GRACE/GRACE-FO gravity series, with expected continuous improvements in the coming years, will lead to a broader range of applications and improve our understanding of both climate change and the Earth system.
KW - Application
KW - Challenge
KW - GRACE
KW - GRACE-FO
KW - Gravity
KW - Mass change
KW - Satellite gravimetry
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85122688910&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1007/s10712-021-09685-x
DO - 10.1007/s10712-021-09685-x
M3 - Review article
AN - SCOPUS:85122688910
SN - 0169-3298
VL - 43
SP - 305
EP - 345
JO - Surveys in Geophysics
JF - Surveys in Geophysics
IS - 1
ER -
