Skip Navigation
menu close modal
Gallery

For 15 Years, GRACE Tracked Freshwater Movements Around the World

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.

Credit

NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center

Related

NASA’s Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) has measured significant groundwater depletion around the world in recent years. 
More
GRACE data over the United States, 2003-2012
GRACE Sees Groundwater Losses Around the World
Monthly changes in ocean bottom pressure data obtained by the GRACE satellites from November 2002 to January 2012. 
More
Monthly changes in ocean bottom pressure data obtained by the GRACE satellites from November 2002 to January 2012.
Ocean Bottom Pressure 2002-2012
GRACE-Follow On (GRACE-FO) is a satellite mission that launched in May 2018. GRACE-FO will continue the work of the GRACE satellite mission tracking Earth's water movement around the globe. These d...
More
Video for the GRACE-FO mission.
Tracking Water from Space
Visualization of the mass change over Greenland from January 2004 through June 2014. 
More
Mass changes in Greenland.
GRACE Mission Measures Global Ice Mass Changes
The rocket carrying GRACE-FO lifts off into a blue sky, with the Pacific Ocean beneath it.
More
The rocket carrying GRACE-FO lifts off into a blue sky, with the Pacific Ocean beneath it.
GRACE-FO Launch, Sky and Sea
An animation showing “sea level fingerprints,” or patterns of rising and falling sea levels across the globe in response to changes in Earth’s gravitational and rotational fields. 
More
An animation showing “sea level fingerprints,” or patterns of rising and falling sea levels across the globe in response to changes in Earth’s gravitational and rotational fields.
Cumulative Sea Level Change 2002-2015
NASA JPL-UC Irvine glaciologist Eric Rignot explains how glaciers in West Antarctica are changing. 
More
NASA JPL-UC Irvine glaciologist Eric Rignot explains how glaciers in West Antarctica are changing.
West Antarctic Collapse
The SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket is seen with the NASA/German Research Centre for Geosciences GRACE Follow-On spacecraft onboard at Space Launch Complex 4E at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. 
More
The SpaceX Falcon 9 that will carry GRACE-FO to orbit sits on the launchpad.
GRACE-FO in Falcon 9 on Launchpad
The NASA/German Research Centre for Geosciences GRACE Follow-On spacecraft launches onboard a SpaceX Falcon 9,  May 22, 2018, from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California.
More
The rocket carrying GRACE-FO blasts off from the launch pad, with the ocean in the foreground.
GRACE-FO Launches, Ocean View
The NASA/German Research Centre for Geosciences GRACE Follow-On spacecraft launches from Space Launch Complex 4E at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California.
More
The rocket carrying GRACE-FO blasts off from the launch pad.
GRACE-FO Launches, Wide Shot
While the two spacecraft of the GRACE-FO mission go through testing at the IABG facitilty in Germany, engineers deploy the S-Band antenna boom to ensure that it works.
More
While the two spacecraft of the GRACE-FO mission go through testing at the IABG facitilty in Germany, engineers deploy the S-Band antenna boom to ensure that it works.
Airbus Tests GRACE-FO Antenna Boom
A long exposure of the  GRACE-FO launch from Vandenberg
More
The rocket's blaze is seen across the sky in this long exposure view with the ocean in the foreground.
GRACE-FO Launch, Long Exposure
Many of today’s most pressing climate science challenges hinge on knowing how and where water is moving on Earth. GRACE-FO will continue the successful partnership between NASA and the German Resea...
More
Image of the spacecraft in orbit over Earth, with the black of space.
GRACE-FO Launch Press Kit
Research based on GRACE observations indicates that between 2002 and 2016, Greenland shed approximately 280 gigatons of ice per year.
More
Mass of the Greenland ice sheet has rapidly declined in the last several years. Research based on observations from the Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) satellites indicates that between 2002 and 2016, Greenland shed approximately 280 gigatons of ice per year.
Greenland Ice Loss 2002-2016
A map of groundwater storage trends for Earth's 37 largest aquifers using GRACE data, showing depletion and replenishment in millimeters of water per year. 
More
A map of groundwater storage trends for Earth's 37 largest aquifers using GRACE data, showing depletion and replenishment in millimeters of water per year.
Map of Groundwater Storage Trends for Earth's 37 Largest Aquifers
The twin satellites of NASA's Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment Follow-on, or GRACE-FO, will track the movement of water around Earth. This short video explains how and why it's important.
More
Explaining why GRACE-FO is so important.
Why Is GRACE-FO So Important?
GRACE-FO, a collaboration between NASA and German Research Centre for Geosciences (GFZ), launched from Vandenberg Air Force Base on on May 22, 2018.
More
A vertical image of the rocket launching in front of a blue sky.
GRACE-FO Launches
The twin GRACE-FO satellites will pick up where the GRACE mission (2002-2017) left off, studying our changing planet.
More
Video reel for media on the GRACE-FO mission to study Earth.
GRACE Follow-On Media Reel
Gravity variations studied by GRACE can be used to determine ground water storage on land masses. 
More
Gravity variations studied by GRACE can be used to determine ground water storage on land masses. By comparing current data to an average over time, scientists can generate an anomaly map to see where ground water storage has been depleted or increased.
Global Terrestrial Water Storage Anomaly
For 15 years, the GRACE mission has unlocked mysteries of how water moves around our planet. It gave us the first view of underground aquifers from space, and shows how fast polar ice sheets and mo...
More
For 15 years, the GRACE mission has unlocked mysteries of how water moves around our planet. It gave us the first view of underground aquifers from space, and shows how fast polar ice sheets and mountain glaciers are melting.
15 Years of GRACE Earth Observations
Work begins to build NASA’s twin satellites, under construction by Airbus Defense and Space.
More
NASA’s twin satellites, under construction by Airbus Defense and Space, will be the follow-on spacecraft of the GRACE mission, which have contributed significantly to global climate research since 2002.
Build Commences on GRACE-FO Satellites
Flames from the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launching GRACE-FO into orbit.
More
A close-up of the flames from the rocket launching GRACE-FO.
Rocket Flames
GRACE Follow-On will test a Laser Ranging Interferometer to measure intersatellite distance changes with unprecedented precision. 
More
GRACE Follow-On – the future of satellite geodesy. Launching in 2017, this mission will be the first to use a Laser Ranging Interferometer to measure intersatellite distance changes with unprecedented precision.
Laser Ranging Interferometer
Between 2002 and 2016, Antarctica shed approximately 125 gigatons of ice per year, causing global sea level to rise by 0.35 millimeters per year.
More
Between 2002 and 2016, Antarctica shed approximately 125 gigatons of ice per year, causing global sea level to rise by 0.35 millimeters per year.
Antarctic Ice Loss 2002-2016
3-2-1 liftoff of Falcon 9 with GRACE-FO! The Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment Follow-on, or GRACE-FO, a collaboration between NASA and German Research Centre for Geosciences (GFZ) launched f...
More
GRACE-FO launches aboard a Falcon 9.
GRACE-FO Launches Aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9

You Might Also Like

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.
More
NASA Satellites Reveal Abrupt Drop in Global Freshwater Levels
NASA Satellites Reveal Abrupt Drop in Global Freshwater Levels
GRACE and GRACE-FO observations are now addressing the crucial need for sustainable groundwater management practices to ensure water resiliency amidst ongoing climate challenges in California.
More
Data in Action: GRACE and GRACE-FO are used by California's Department of Water Resources for Groundwater Management Information
Data in Action: GRACE and GRACE-FO are used by California's Department of Water Resources for Groundwater Management Information
The Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment-Continuity mission will extend a decades-long record of following shifting water masses using gravity measurements.
More
US, Germany Partnering on Mission to Track Earth's Water Movement
US, Germany Partnering on Mission to Track Earth's Water Movement
This immersive experience leverages satellite data to illustrate how climate change is impacting Earth’s water cycle.
More
Google's ‘A Passage of Water' Brings NASA's Water Data to Life
Google's ‘A Passage of Water' Brings NASA's Water Data to Life
Early data shows the greatest net gain of water over the winter in nearly 22 years, but the state’s groundwater levels still suffer from the effects of years of drought.
More
US-German Satellites Show California Water Gains After Record Winter
US-German Satellites Show California Water Gains After Record Winter
Scientists have predicted that droughts and floods will become more frequent and severe as our planet warms and climate changes, but detecting this on regional and continental scales has proven difficult. Now a new NASA-led study confirms that major droughts and pluvials – periods of excessive precipitation and water storage on land – have indeed been occurring more often.
More
Warming Makes Droughts, Extreme Wet Events More Frequent, Intense
Warming Makes Droughts, Extreme Wet Events More Frequent, Intense