Significance of secular trends of mass variations determined from GRACE solutions

Holger Steffen , Svetozar Petrovic , Jürgen Müller , Roland Schmidt , Johann Wünsch , Franz Barthelmes , Jürgen Kusche

Since 2002 the Earth's gravity field is globally observed by the Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) satellite mission. The GRACE monthly gravity field solutions, available from several analysis centres, reflect mass variations in the atmosphere, hydrosphere and geosphere. Due to correlated noise contained in these solutions, it is, however, first necessary to apply an appropriate filtering technique. The resulting, smoothed time series are applied not only to determine variations with different periodic signatures (e.g., seasonal, short and medium-term), but to derive long-periodic mass variations and secular trends as well. As the GRACEmonthly solutions always show the integral effect of all mass variations, for separation of single processes, like the GIA (Glacial isostatic adjustment)- related mass increase in Fennoscandia, appropriate reduction models (e.g. from hydrology) are necessary.

Mots clés: GRACE; filtering; mass variation; glacial isostatic adjustment; global hydrology models

Holger Steffen, Svetozar Petrovic, Jürgen Müller, Roland Schmidt, Johann Wünsch, et al.. Significance of secular trends of mass variations determined from GRACE solutions. Journal of Geodynamics, 2009, 48 (3-5), pp.157. ⟨10.1016/j.jog.2009.09.029⟩. ⟨hal-00594417⟩