Solid Earth

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Modeling and Dynamics

Over the last decade NASA launched a series of satellites that offer an unparalleled view of Earth from space. That series, known collectively as NASA's Earth Observing System (EOS), has provided striking new insights into many aspects of Earth, including its clouds, oceans, vegetation, ice, and atmosphere. However, as the EOS satellites age, a new generation of Earth-observing satellites are poised to take over.

Field Campaigns

ARCSIX

The overarching goal of ARCSIX is to quantify the contributions of surface properties, clouds, aerosol particles, and precipitation to the Arctic summer surface radiation budget and sea ice melt during the early melt season (May through mid-July).

CPEX-CV

NASA’s Convective Processes Experiment – Cabo Verde (CPEX-CV) is

HI-SEAS: The Hawai‘i Space Exploration Analog and Simulation, Mauna Loa, Hawai‘i

In 2017, we tested our new, compact version of the ground mini-LHR as part of the Hawai’i Space Exploration Analog and Simulation (Hi-SEAS) program which is a long duration Mars analog simulation program operated by the University of Hawai’i at Mānoa.

Space Missions

Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE)

The Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) is a joint partnership between the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) in the United States and Deutsche Forschungsanstalt für Luft und Raumfahrt (DLR) in Germany [Tapley et al., 2004].

Research Areas

Biosphere Instrument Calibration

GSFC laser calibration setup (courtesy Joel McCorkel)

Outreach

Data Files

SLR Time Variable Gravity

Satellite laser ranging (SLR) tracking data provides more than four decades of measurements useful for estimating the long wavelength components of time-variable gravity, including C20 and C30. The estimation of these gravity coefficients with SLR has been critical to the success of the GRACE and GRACE-FO missions. GSFC routinely provides estimates of the gravity coefficients up to degree and order 5.

Instruments

VLBI

Over its 40-year history of development and operation, the space geodetic technique called very long baseline interferometry (VLBI) has provided an unprecedented record of the motions of the solid Earth. VLBI is unique in its ability to define an inertial reference frame and to measure the Earth's orientation in this frame.

VLBI

Organizations:

Geo

Models

SWATOnline Web-based Decision Support Tool

SWATOnline is a web application developed for hydroclimatic application to leverage data sharing capabilities employing current web technologies. The SWATOnline web app can be duplicated, installed, and hosted anywhere. The work presented in this web app represents an effort to lower technical barriers for the Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) model through using open source web development, web services, and cloud storage technologies.