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Geodesy

TWS

Bits and Bites of Geodesy – Satellite Gravimetry: Studying Earth’s water cycle from space

Bits and Bites of Geodesy – Satellite Gravimetry: Studying Earth’s water cycle from space

During winter, mountains gain mass because of snow covering the peaks. In spring, the snow melts and flows downstream until it reaches the ocean or evaporates into the atmosphere to reach back on the surface as rain or snow. The global water cycle is very complex and essential for life on our planet. Did you know we can measure how the water is distributed by measuring its mass from space? How can ...[Read More]

High resolution terrestrial water storage changes from combination of GRACE and models

High resolution terrestrial water storage changes from combination of GRACE and models

The Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) satellite mission (2002-2017) consisted of two satellites at ~500 km altitude separated by 200 km, following each other in the same orbit. The distance between the two GRACE satellites changes because of the gravitational pull of the masses beneath the satellites. As such, mass changes at or near the Earth’s surface caused variations in the dista ...[Read More]