NASA Satellites Reveal Abrupt Drop in Global Freshwater Levels

An international team of scientists using observations from NASA-German satellites found evidence that Earth’s total amount of freshwater dropped abruptly starting in May 2014 and has remained low ever since. Read more ›

US, Germany Partnering on Mission to Track Earth's Water Movement

The Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment-Continuity mission will extend a decades-long record of following shifting water masses using gravity measurements. Read more ›

Google's ‘A Passage of Water' Brings NASA's Water Data to Life

This immersive experience leverages satellite data to illustrate how climate change is impacting Earth’s water cycle. Read more ›

NASA Measures Underground Water Flowing From Sierra to Central Valley

In a recent study, scientists found that a previously unmeasured source – water percolating through soil and fractured rock below California’s Sierra Nevada mountains – delivers an average of 4 million acre feet (5 cubic kilometers) of water to the state’s Central Valley each year. Read more ›

NASA Finds New Way to Monitor Underground Water Loss

Researchers have untangled puzzling patterns of sinking and rising land to pin down the underground locations where water is being pumped for irrigation. Read more ›

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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
Rocket Flames

Flames from the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launching GRACE-FO into orbit.