Monthly gravity field solutions from GRACE-FO inter-satellite ranging data

Abstract:

The GRACE Follow-On (GRACE-FO) mission is in orbit since May 2018 and continues to observe global mass variations of the Earth. In this contribution we report on the current processing status of gravity field recovery from GRACE-FO data at the Institute of Geodesy/Leibniz University Hannover (IfE/LUH). Satellite-to-satellite tracking data (K-band and/or laser) as well as accelerometer data, star camera measurements and pseudo-observed orbit positions are used in a common dynamic orbit and gravity field determination procedure to compute the monthly gravity filed solutions. The processing details of the estimation technique are summarized and gravity field recovery results covering a time span of approximately 2 and a half years are presented. The gravity field solutions are compared to solutions of other analysis centers in terms of noise level (spectral and spatial domain) and signal content (river basin amplitudes and ice mass loss trends).