A simulation study for future satellite gravimetry missions

The Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE), launched in 2002, was the first low-low satellite-to-satellite tracking (ll-SST) satellite gravity mission. One of its primary objectives was to monitor the redistribution of mass in the Earth's system, which is of vital importance not only to the scientific community, but also to society in...

Estimation of regional mass balance changes of the Greenland ice sheet using GRACE data and the Input-output method

In the 21st century, polar land ice melting became one of the driving factors of global sea level rise, which is discussed widely by the media and the public. Although the fact of the shrinking ice caps and accompanying changes in the sea level is established, the actual amount of polar ice melting still needs to be quantified in separate...

Separating glacial isostatic adjustment and ice-mass change signals in Antarctica using satellite data

The main goal of this thesis involves the development of a refined methodology to<br/>separate the mass change signals associated with glacial isostatic adjustment (GIA)<br/>from those of surface ice/firn by exploiting the strengths of independent data sets,<br/>such as those from gravimetry, altimetry, climate data, and others. To achieve this,...

Estimating geocenter motion and changes in the Earth’s dynamic oblateness from GRACE and geophysical models

Geocenter motion and changes in the Earth’s dynamic oblateness (J2) are of great importance in many applications. Among others, they are critical indicators of largescale mass redistributions, which is invaluable to understand ongoing global climate change. The revolutionary Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) satellite mission...

Analysis of mass variations in Greenland by a novel variant of the mascon approach

The Greenland ice sheet (GrIS) is currently losing mass, as a result of complex mechanisms of ice-climate interaction that need to be understood for reliable projections of future sea level rise. The thesis focuses on the estimation of mass anomalies in Greenland using data from the GRACE satellite gravity mission. Monthly GRACE gravity field...

Megathrust Earthquakes: Study of Fault Slip and Stress Relaxation Using Satellite Gravity Observations

During earthquakes large scale mass displacements take place when slip on a fault deforms the earth’s crust. Besides, in the days to decades after the main shock ongoing deformation is usually observed that is related to relaxation of stresses caused by the earthquake. In this thesis I relate gravity changes as observed by the GRACE satellite...

Thermospheric density and wind determination from satellite dynamics

Identification and Modeling of Sea Level Change Contributors: On GRACE satellite gravity data and their applications to climate monitoring

Since early 2002, the Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) twin satellite mission provide the scientific community with accurate monthly maps of the Earth's gravity field. On short time-scale, the observed variations are mainly related to a redistribution of water on the Earth's surface. This new data set has lead to a leap forward in...