Researched
GRACE Gravity Satellites
The twin GRACE satellites (2002) track tiny changes in their distance to measure shifts of mass: melting ice, falling groundwater, ocean mass.
Open in the interactive tree →Monthly gravity maps from GRACE and GRACE-FO revealed the loss of ice from Greenland and Antarctica and the drop of groundwater in major aquifers. They give a direct measure of Earth's changing water.
Prerequisites
- Earth observation by satellite1960
- Satellite Altimetry & Sea Level1992GRACE's ocean-mass data separate the causes of the sea-level rise altimeters measure
- Satellite navigation (GPS)1995
Unlocks
- Fresh water for everyoneopenGRACE shows falling groundwater in major aquifers, the strain this problem faces
- Predicting tipping pointsopenGRACE tracks mass loss of Greenland and Antarctica, ice sheets near tipping