Drought in the Northern Great Plains

Decades of drought across the U.S. Southwest has led some scientists to classify the intense, prolonged dryness as a “megadrought.” But drought in North America took a different shape in 2021, affecting areas that do not face long-term or intense drought as often. The northern Great Plains has been coping with drought for months. Read more ›

slide 2 - A photo of a forest giving off moisture into the air.

Satellites Show How Earth's Water Cycle Is Ramping Up as Climate Warms

NASA scientists have studied 17 years of gravity observations of our planet to understand how the global water cycle is changing. Full story ›

slide 3 - An illustration of the GRACE-FO Mission

International Cooperation Award for NASA JPL's Michael Watkins, Michael Gross

Focusing on the GRACE and GRACE-FO missions, the award cites the “outstanding leadership of the international consortium in the planning and implementation of the successful Earth gravity missions.” Read more ›

slide 4 - Aerial photograph of meltwater rivers over the Greenland Ice Sheet

NASA-led Study Reveals the Causes of Sea Level Rise Since 1900

Scientists have gained new insights into the processes that have driven ocean level variations for over a century, helping us prepare for the rising seas of the future. Full story ›

slide 5 - A small glacier in the Arctic region of Norwegian archipelago Svalbard, as photographed by NASA's Airborne Tropical Tropopause Experiment (ATTREX).

Ice Melt Linked to Accelerated Regional Freshwater Depletion

Continuous monitoring of glaciers and ice caps has provided unprecedented insights to global ice loss that could have serious socioeconomic impacts on some regions. Full story ›

TIME SINCE
LAUNCH

TIME SINCE LAUNCH

Countup Since Launch

QUICK
FACTS

Measuring Earth's Surface Mass and Water Changes

GRACE Follow-On (GRACE-FO) is continuing GRACE’s legacy of tracking Earth’s water movement across the planet. Monitoring changes in ice sheets and glaciers, underground water storage, the amount of water in large lakes and rivers, and changes in sea level provides a unique view of Earth’s climate and has far-reaching benefits for its people.

Measuring Earth's Surface Mass and Water Changes

GRACE Follow-On (GRACE-FO) is continuing GRACE’s legacy of tracking Earth’s water movement across the planet. Monitoring changes in ice sheets and glaciers, underground water storage, the amount of water in large lakes and rivers, and changes in sea level provides a unique view of Earth’s climate and has far-reaching benefits for its people.

More Headlines

June 13, 2018

Ramp-Up in Antarctic Ice Loss Speeds Sea Level Rise

Antarctic ice losses have tripled since 2012, raising global sea levels by 0.12 inch (3 millimeters) in that timeframe alone, finds a new NASA/ESA-funded climate assessment.
May 17, 2018

NASA Satellites Reveal Major Shifts in Global Freshwater

NASA scientists used GRACE data to identify regional trends of freshwater movement, and combined that information with data from other satellites, climate models and precipitation measurements to determine the causes of major regional trends in freshwater storage.
March 29, 2018

NASA Renews Focus on Earth's Frozen Regions

In 2018, NASA will intensify its focus on one of the most critical but remote parts of our changing planet with the launch of GRACE-FO and ICESat-2, and an array of airborne campaigns.

Featured Multimedia

GRACE-FO 3D Model

A 3D interactive model of NASA's GRACE-FO spacecraft.
GRACE-FO Launch, Long Exposure

A long exposure of the GRACE-FO launch from Vandenberg
GRACE-FO Launch, Sky and Sea

The rocket carrying GRACE-FO lifts off into a blue sky, with the Pacific Ocean beneath it.