NASA and GFZ GRACE Follow-On Mission: Status, Science, Advances
- 1Helmholtz Centre Potsdam, GFZ German Research Centre for Geosciences, Potsdam, Germany (frank.flechtner@gfz-potsdam.de)
- 2Jet Propulsion Laboratory / California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, USA.
- 3Center for Space Research University of Texas, Austin, USA.
The twin satellites of the Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) Follow-On mission were successfully launched in May-2018. The primary objective of the mission is to continue the 15-year GRACE (2002-2017) global data record of Earth’s monthly mass changes. These measurements have become an indispensable tool to quantify and track Earth’s water movement and surface mass changes across the planet. Monitoring changes in ice sheets and glaciers, near-surface and underground water storage, the amount of water in large lakes and rivers, as well as changes in sea level and ocean currents provides an integrated global view of how Earth’s water cycle and energy balance are evolving.
In this presentation we will present the current mission status, including instrument and flight system performance, discuss science data quality and performance as well as recent science results from the first two years of observations, and address data continuity from GRACE to GRACE Follow-On.
How to cite: Flechtner, F., Landerer, F., Save, H., Dahle, C., Bettadbur, S., Watkins, M., and Webb, F.: NASA and GFZ GRACE Follow-On Mission: Status, Science, Advances, EGU General Assembly 2020, Online, 4–8 May 2020, EGU2020-3077, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu2020-3077, 2020.
