hide
Free keywords:
-
Abstract:
The GRACE Follow-On mission, a partnership between NASA (US) and GFZ (Germany), reached its nominal five-year mission lifetime in May 2023, and is entering its extended mission phase through the end of 2026. GRACE-FO continues the unique essential climate data record of mass change in the Earth system initiated in 2002 by the GRACE mission (2002-2017). The combined GRACE & GRACE-FO data records now span over 22 years and provide unique observations of monthly to decadal global mass changes and transport in the Earth system derived from temporal variations in the Earth’s gravity field. These observations have become indispensable for climate-related studies that enable process understanding of the evolving global water cycle, including ocean dynamics, polar ice mass changes, and near-surface and global ground water changes.In this presentation, we will review (1) some recent GRACE/GRACE-FO science and applications highlights, (2) key data processing and calibration approaches on GRACE-FO and lessons learned during the 5-year prime mission, and (3) the GRACE-FO mission plan to operate and collect high-quality science data through the intensifying solar cycle 25, aiming for continuity with a future Mass Change mission that is currently planned by NASA and DLR.
