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Greenland’s ice loss accelerating rapidly, gravity-measuring satellites reveal |
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Dr. Jianli Chen received a 2006 Presidential Early Career Award for
Scientists and Engineers. Chen received the $500,000 research grant for
outstanding contributions to understanding the variations of the mass
and angular momentum of oceans and global altimetry and gravity
observations, and for unique leadership in advancing interdisciplinary
science. Using measurements taken from GRACE’s gravity maps, known to be up to 1,000 more accurate than previous maps, Dr. Chen authored the August 10, 2006 study published in the journal Science showing dramatic increases in glacial melting on Greenland. Chen is a researcher at The University of Texas' Center for Space Research. |
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Chen holds a model of the GRACE satellites, two identical satellites placed in near circular orbits around the Earth, separated from each other by about 137 miles. As the satellites orbit the Earth, gravity field variations cause minute changes in the distance between the two. These changes are measured with unprecedented accuracy by the instruments aboard GRACE, leading to a more precise rendering of the gravitational field than has ever been possible. Every 30 days GRACE produces gravity maps up to 1,000 times more accurate than current maps, substantially improving the accuracy of many techniques used by geologists such as Chen. |
