Evaluating GRACE Mass Change Time Series for the Antarctic and Greenland Ice Sheet—Methods and Results

Satellite gravimetry data acquired by the Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) allows to derive the temporal evolution in ice mass for both the Antarctic Ice Sheet (AIS) and the Greenland Ice Sheet (GIS). Various algorithms have been used in a wide range of studies to generate Gravimetric Mass Balance (GMB) products. Results from...

Estimation and reduction of random noise in mass anomaly time-series from satellite gravity data by minimization of month-to-month year-to-year double differences

We propose a technique to regularize a GRACE-based mass-anomaly time-series in order to (i) quantify the Standard Deviation (SD) of random noise in the data, and (ii) reduce the level of that noise. The proposed regularization functional minimizes the Month-to-month Year-to-year Double Differences (MYDD) of mass anomalies. As such, it does...

Optimal mascon geometry in estimating mass anomalies within Greenland from GRACE

The mascon approach is a well-known technique to estimate mass anomalies in Greenland using GRACE satellite gravity data. It partitions the area of interest into laterally-homogeneous patches (mascons). An important aspect of the mascon approach is the chosen geometry of mascons. So far, its impact has not been fully understood. In this study,...

Seasonal mass variations show timing and magnitude of meltwater storage in the Greenland ice sheet

The Greenland Ice Sheet (GrIS) is currently losing ice mass as the result of changes in the complex ice-climate interactions that have been driven by global climate change. In order to accurately predict future sea level rise, the mechanisms driving the observed mass loss must be better understood. Here, we combine data from the satellite...

Statistically optimal estimation of Greenland Ice Sheet mass variations from GRACE monthly solutions using an improved mascon approach

We present an improved mascon approach to transform monthly spherical harmonic solutions based on GRACE satellite data into mass anomaly estimates in Greenland. The GRACE-based spherical harmonic coefficients are used to synthesize gravity anomalies at satellite altitude, which are then inverted into mass anomalies per mascon. The limited...

Updated Delft mass transport model DMT-2: Computation and validation