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Measuring Earth's Surface Mass and Water Changes

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.
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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.
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30-, 60- and 90-day forecasts of dry and wet conditions, relative to the historic record for the lower 48 states, use GRACE-FO satellite groundwater data for the initial conditions. Credit: NASA/Scientific Visualization Studio

NASA, University of Nebraska Release New Global Groundwater Maps and U.S. Drought Forecasts

During the exceptionally warm Arctic summer of 2019, Greenland lost 600 billion tons of ice - enough to raise global sea levels by nearly a tenth of an inch (2.2 millimeters) in just two months, a new study shows.
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A photo of Steenstrup Glacier from an airplane, with the sun glinting behind it.

GRACE, GRACE-FO Satellite Data Track Ice Loss at the Poles

Greenland's Steenstrup Glacier, with the midmorning sun glinting off the Denmark Strait in the background. The image was taken during a NASA IceBridge airborne survey of the region in 2016. Credit: NASA/Operation IceBridge
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GRACE Follow-On: Current Monthly Mass Change map (June-2019).

GRACE Follow-On Monthly Mass Change maps available

GRACE Follow-On monthly maps of terrestrial water storage and ocean bottom pressure changes (Level-3 'Tellus' grids) are now available from June-2018 through June-2019. These data sets will be expanded with the most recent monthly data as it becomes available (approx. 45 day latency).
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Data Updates

Top Data Sets

  • JPL Global Land / Ocean Mascons

    JPL Global Land / Ocean Mascons

    JPL's global mascons (land water storage & ocean bottom pressure) from GRACE & GRACE-FO are updated monthly, and are provided on 0.5-degree global grid. Current version: RL06M.MSCNv02

  • GRACE Tellus LAND Grids

    GRACE Tellus LAND Grids

    Land water storage from GRACE is updated monthly, and is provided on 1-degree global grids.
  • Interactive Data Browsers

    Interactive Data Browsers

    The data browser allows the interactive retrieval of GRACE/GRACE-FO Land & Ocean data: evaluate time series over large river basins, compute long-term trends and mean seasonal amplitudes!

Applications

Hydrology

Groundwater is a useful indicator of climate variability and human impacts on the environment.

Land Ice

GRACE resolves the mass balance of grounded ice sheets, glaciers and ice caps.

Solid Earth

GRACE yields insights into Solid Earth changes from earthquakes glacial isostatic adjustment.

Ocean

GRACE measures sea level rise from melting ice, changes in deep ocean currents.

GRACE Follow-On

GRACE-FO over Earth

Launching in 2017, GRACE Follow-on (GRACE-FO) will continue GRACE's legacy of tracking Earth's water movement to monitor changes in underground water storage, the amount of water stored in large lakes and rivers, soil moisture, ice sheets and glaciers, and sea level caused by the addition of water to the ocean. These discoveries provide a unique view of Earth's climate and have far-reaching benefits to society and the world's population.