The advent of satellite altimetry has provided unprecedented opportunities and capabilities for monitoring, studying, and forecasting the ocean's physical environment. The synergies of satellite altimetry with hydrography, modelling and the recent gravity field results from the GRACE mission are even more enormous.

The potential insight of GRACE is large, as it is the only system capable of directly measuring the eustatic sea level change, or the component due to addition of fresh water. All other measurements are based on combinations of different data or models. 

The  GRACE project has already proved to be capable of accurately monitoring ice sheet volume decreases in Greenland and Antarctica (see PC07, 03 April 2006). Now, we may expect to see these reflected in rising sea levels as recorded by GRACE satellite altimetry.

1. Don Chambers: Combining Jason-1 altimetry and GRACE time-variable gravity to study steric sea level  abstract 
2. Ernst Schrama: Accuracy Assessment of the Monthly Geoid Variation based upon a GRACE Simulation abstract
3. Steve Nerem: GRACE Assessment of Hydrologic Contributions to Global Mean Sea Level Change abstract

Session: OS12/G2 Time Variable Gravity and its Syntheses with Altimetery, Hydrography, Modeling, Crustal Deformation and Gravity Measurements | >>programme
Session: HS52 Water storage, level and discharge from remote sensing and geodesy | >>programme

Don Chambers chambers@csr.utexas.edu
Ernst Schrama e.j.o.schrama@lr.tudelft.nl
Steve Nerem nerem@ocelot.Colorado.EDU