Gravitational Recovery and Climate Experiment Posted on May 7th, 2012 by

This is the first data produced by GRACE after 111 days after its launch date. As you can see, gravitational pull varies throughout areas of the Earth. (Source: http://www.csr.utexas.edu/grace/gallery/gravity/03_07_GRACE.html)

This is a guest blog by senior Geology major Todd Kremmin as part of GEG-345 Remote Sensing of Environment.

Back in March of 2002, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) launched the Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE), which is a twin satellite project that takes detailed measurements of Earth’s gravity field. After 10 years of service, it continues to produce an amazing array of breakthrough science that is giving us a greater understanding of Earth’s natural systems.

The satellites are able to detect changes in gravitational pulls of ice, air, water, and solid Earth. The data collected has substantially improved the accuracy of techniques used by glaciologists, geologists, hydrologists, oceanographers, and climate scientists, who are able to make inferences about weather patterns, seasonal change, climate change, and even tectonic events like earthquakes. GRACE is a revolutionary technique in remote sensing that has outdone what it was built to accomplish, and has had influential benefits to society as well as the future.

For more information regarding GRACE, visit http://www.csr.utexas.edu/grace/.

 

 

 

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