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Assessment of degree-2 order-1 gravitational changes from GRACE and GRACE Follow-on, Earth rotation, satellite laser ranging, and models

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Abstract

We carry out a comprehensive analysis and assessment of degree-2 gravitational changes ΔC21, and ΔS21, estimated using the Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) and GRACE Follow-On (GFO), satellite laser ranging (SLR), Earth Orientation Parameters (EOP), and geophysical models over the period April 2002–February 2020. The four independent estimates of ΔC21 and ΔS21 variations agree well over a broad band of frequencies. The GRACE/GFO Release 6 (RL06) solutions show major improvements over the previous RL05 solutions at both seasonal and intra-seasonal time scales, when compared with EOP and SLR estimates. Among the four independent estimates, highest correlation coefficients and smallest RMS residuals are found between GRACE/GFO and EOP estimates of ΔC21 and ΔS21 variations. GRACE/GFO and EOP ΔC21 and ΔS21 estimates exhibit slightly different trends, which are related to the implementation and interpretation of the pole tide correction in GRACE/GFO data processing. This study provides an important early validation of GFO ΔC21 and ΔS21 solutions, especially the new pole tide correction applied in GRACE/GFO RL06 solutions using independent estimates.

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Data Availability

GRACE/GFO gravity solutions are distributed by the GRACE/GFO project via NASA PODAAC (https://podaac-tools.jpl.nasa.gov/drive/files/allData), and SLR ΔC21 and ΔS21 solutions covering the GRACE/GFO time span are available from the CSR (https://grace.jpl.nasa.gov/data/get-data/oblateness/). The GFZ EAM (HAM and SLAM) series are available at the ESMGFZ Product Repository (http://rz-vm115.gfz-potsdam.de:8080/repository). The IERS C04 EOP excitation time series are derived from the IERS online interactive tools (http://hpiers.obspm.fr/eop-pc/analysis/excitactive.html).

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Acknowledgments

The authors are grateful to Robert Dill, Franziska Göttl, and Michael Schindelegger (AE) for their comprehensive and insightful comments, which have led to significantly improved presentation of the results. This study was supported by the NASA GRACE and GRACE Follow-On Projects (under contract # NNL14AA00C and JPL subcontract # 1478584), and NASA ESI and GRACE Follow-On Science Team Programs (NNX17AG96G and 80NSSC20K0820).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Center for Space Research, University of Texas, Austin, TX, 78712, USA

    Jianli Chen, John C. Ries & Byron D. Tapley

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  1. Jianli Chen
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  2. John C. Ries
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  3. Byron D. Tapley
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Contributions

JC carried out the analysis and wrote the paper, and JCR and BDT joined the analysis and revised the paper.

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Correspondence to Jianli Chen.

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Chen, J., Ries, J.C. & Tapley, B.D. Assessment of degree-2 order-1 gravitational changes from GRACE and GRACE Follow-on, Earth rotation, satellite laser ranging, and models. J Geod 95, 38 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00190-021-01492-x

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