Linear stability and bifurcations of periodic Lagrange orbits in the Elliptic Restricted 3-Body Problem: An investigation at L1/L2 in the Earth-Moon system

The Three Body Problem (3BP) has been one of the main celestial mechanics problems in the past few centuries, for a long time studied by both engineers and mathematicians. Its practical purpose is to describe the motion of three particles only under their mutual gravitational interaction, thus it actually represents a ‘model’ of the real...

Satellite altimetry on Greenland ice sheet mass balances

On this MSc thesis we use two radar altimetry mission data in order to study the evolution oof the Greenland ice sheet during the period 2013-2014. The Throughout Earth’s history the cryosphere, and more specifically its ice sheets, have responded to every major climate change event by expanding or retreating its extension pulled on the...

Observing groundwater depletion in Northern Iraq from space: A comparitive study between catchment hydrology and the GRACE satellite mission

Mass changes derived from GRACE satellite data indicate that there is a large water mass loss in Northern Iraq between 2006 and 2009. In the same period Northern Iraq suffered a severe drought , which is likely to be the main driving factor behind those water mass losses. But where does this mass change exactly come from? Is it groundwater or...

Validation of Oceanic Mass Changes derived from GRACE Gravimetry: A comparison with independent data from Bottom Pressure Recorders in the Southern Ocean

The satellite mission GRACE (Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment) provides monthly solutions of the global gravity field of the Earth. Temporal variations in gravity reflect mass redistributions over the Earth. Those mass movements are caused by physical phenomena such as ice sheet dynamics, accumulation of hydrological masses over land, the...

3D temperature modeling for the South China Sea using remote sensing data

The South China Sea's (SCS) seasonal, large-scale temperature cycle is governed to a large extend by the monsoon. This phenomenon modulates the large-scale circulation, transport and mixing as well as the exchange processes with the Pacific Ocean and the East China Sea. Also, significant variations in net surface heat flux will contribute to the...

Improving the TOPEX/Poseidon calibration procedure by modeling and implementation of global isostatic adjustment

The main purpose of this research was to investigate the role of Global Isostatic Adjustment in the calibration of the TOPEX/Poseidon radar altimeter which makes use of tide gauge data.