NASA's Grace Finds Greenland Melting Faster, 'Sees' Sumatra Quake
In the first direct, comprehensive mass survey of the entire Greenland
ice sheet, scientists using data from the NASA/German Aerospace Center
Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (Grace) have measured a significant
decrease in the mass of the Greenland ice cap. Grace is a satellite
mission that measures movement in Earth's mass.
Image right: This figure shows the effect of the December 2004 great Sumatra earthquake on the Earth's gravity field as observed by Grace. Image credit: NASA/JPL/University of Texas-CSR + Browse version of image
In an update to findings published in the journal Geophysical Research
Letters, a team led by Dr. Isabella Velicogna of the University of Colorado,
Boulder, found that Greenland's ice sheet decreased by 162 (plus or minus 22)
cubic kilometers a year between 2002 and 2005. This is higher than all previously
published estimates, and it represents a change of about 0.4 millimeters
(.016 inches) per year to global sea level rise.
"Greenland hosts the largest reservoir of freshwater in the northern hemisphere,
and any substantial changes in the mass of its ice sheet will affect global sea level,
ocean circulation and climate," said Velicogna. "These results demonstrate Grace's
ability to measure monthly mass changes for an entire ice sheet -- a breakthrough
in our ability to monitor such changes."
Other recent Grace-related research includes measurements of seasonal changes in the
Antarctic Circumpolar Current, Earth's strongest ocean current system and a very
significant force in global climate change. The Grace science team borrowed techniques
from meteorologists who use atmospheric pressure to estimate winds. The team used Grace to
estimate seasonal differences in ocean bottom pressure in order to estimate the intensity
of the deep currents that move dense, cold water away from the Antarctic. This is the first
study of seasonal variability along the full length of the Antarctic Circumpolar Current,
which links the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans.
Image left: This figure shows the ice mass loss in Greenland as observed by Grace over the period 2002-2005 measured in cubic kilometers per year. The ice mass loss observed contributes about 0.4 millimeters (.016 inches) per year to global sea level rise. Image credit: NASA/JPL/University of Colorado + Browse version of image
Dr. Victor Zlotnicki, an oceanographer at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena,
Calif., called the technique a first step in global satellite monitoring of deep ocean
circulation, which moves heat and salt between ocean basins. This exchange of heat and salt
links sea ice, sea surface temperature and other polar ocean properties with weather and
climate-related phenomena such as El Ninos. Some scientific studies indicate that deep
ocean circulation plays a significant role in global climate change.
The identical twin Grace satellites track minute changes in Earth's gravity field
resulting from regional changes in Earth's mass. Masses of ice, air, water and solid
Earth can be moved by weather patterns, seasonal change, climate change and even tectonic
events, such as this past December's Sumatra earthquake. To track these changes, Grace
measures micron-scale changes in the 220-kilometer (137-mile) separation between the two
satellites, which fly in formation. To limit degradation of Grace's satellite antennas due
to atomic oxygen exposure and thereby preserve mission life, a series of maneuvers was
performed earlier this month to swap the satellites' relative positions in orbit.
In a demonstration of the satellites' sensitivity to minute changes in Earth's mass, the Grace
science team reported that the satellites were able to measure the deformation of the Earth's
crust caused by the December 2004 Sumatra earthquake. That quake changed Earth's gravity by one
part in a billion.
Dr. Byron Tapley, Grace principal investigator at the University of Texas at Austin, said that
the detection of the Sumatra earthquake gravity signal illustrates Grace's ability to measure
changes on and within Earth's surface. "Grace's measurements will add a global perspective to studies
of large earthquakes and their impacts," said Tapley.
Grace is managed for NASA by JPL. The University of Texas Center for Space Research has overall
mission responsibility. GeoForschungsZentrum Potsdam, or GFZ, Potsdam, Germany, is responsible
for German mission elements. Science data processing, distribution, archiving and product
verification are managed jointly by JPL, the University of Texas and GFZ.
Imagery related to these latest Grace findings may be viewed at:
For more information on Grace, visit:
Other Grace public affairs contacts include: Margaret Baguio, University of Texas,
(512) 471-6922; Franz Ossing, GFZ, 49 (331) 288-1040; and Vanadis Weber, German
Aerospace Center, 49 (0) 2203/601-3068.
JPL is managed for NASA by the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena.
Alan Buis (818) 354-0474
Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif.