Advanced GRACE accelerometer sensor analysis, impact on gravity field determination and aeronomy research

• Applicant: Professor Dr.-Ing. Jakob Flury
• Subject Area: Geophysics
• Term: from 2006 to 2009
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 23159194

The dual-satellite GRACE mission launched in 2002 has led to a fundamental improvement of our knowledge of the spatial and temporal variations of the Earth s gravity field. In particular, temporal gravity changes due to mass movements within continental water cycles, atmosphere, oceans, ice, and solid Earth can be recovered, which before have been known at their longest wavelengths only. The main GRACE instruments are a microwave system for urn accuracy ranging between the pair of GRACE satellites, and very sensitive accelerometers on each of the satellites for the measurement of the non-gravitative forces. Whereas the ranging system proves excellent performance, the accelerometer data are not yet fully understood. This could partly explain why the GRACE gravity field solutions do not yet fully meet the expected accuracy. The aim of the proposed fellowship is a thorough analysis of the time series of accelerometer observations, the identification of signal peculiarities, and an assessment of the impact of accelerometer performance on the gravity field solutions.

• DFG Programme: Research Fellowships
• International Connection: USA
• Host: Professor Dr. Byron Tapley