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Greenland ice cap melting faster finds NASA NASA release December 26, 2005 In the first direct, comprehensive mass survey of the entire Greenland ice sheet, scientists using data from the NASA/German Aerospace Center Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (Grace) have measured a significant decrease in the mass of the Greenland ice cap. Grace is a satellite mission that measures movement in Earth's mass. "Greenland hosts the largest reservoir of freshwater in the northern hemisphere, and any substantial changes in the mass of its ice sheet will affect global sea level, ocean circulation and climate," said Velicogna. "These results demonstrate Grace's ability to measure monthly mass changes for an entire ice sheet a breakthrough in our ability to monitor such changes."
Dr. Victor Zlotnicki, an oceanographer at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif., called the technique a first step in global satellite monitoring of deep ocean circulation, which moves heat and salt between ocean basins. This exchange of heat and salt links sea ice, sea surface temperature and other polar ocean properties with weather and climate-related phenomena such as El Ninos. Some scientific studies indicate that deep ocean circulation plays a significant role in global climate change.
In a demonstration of the satellites' sensitivity to minute changes in Earth's mass, the Grace science team reported that the satellites were able to measure the deformation of the Earth's crust caused by the December 2004 Sumatra earthquake. That quake changed Earth's gravity by one part in a billion. Dr. Byron Tapley, Grace principal investigator at the University of Texas at Austin, said that the detection of the Sumatra earthquake gravity signal illustrates Grace's ability to measure changes on and within Earth's surface. "Grace's measurements will add a global perspective to studies of large earthquakes and their impacts," said Tapley. Grace is managed for NASA by JPL. The University of Texas Center for Space Research has overall mission responsibility. GeoForschungsZentrum Potsdam, or GFZ, Potsdam, Germany, is responsible for German mission elements. Science data processing, distribution, archiving and product verification are managed jointly by JPL, the University of Texas and GFZ. More at Images from Grace Mission. This is a modified news release from NASA.
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