GRACE for Earth system science: novel insights into hydrology, sea level rise, and solid Earth uplift

The Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment Satellite mission has provided estimates of spatiotemporal changes in the Earth’s gravity field, which represents mass transport near the surface of the Earth. This unique satellite mission has been used to study groundwater depletion, lake volume changes, sea level rise, and the viscoelastic response of solid Earth to glacial cycles; glacial isostatic adjustment. In this talk, I will share my experiences: published, unpublished, and even incomplete, in using GRACE data for Earth system science and emphasize the power and limitations of this unique satellite mission.