HR: 15:25h
AN: G23A-08    [Abstracts]
TI: GRACE Observations over the Ocean
AU: * Chambers, D P
EM: chambers@csr.utexas.edu
AF: Center for Space Research, The University of Texas at Austin, 3925 W. Braker Lane, Suite 200, Austin, TX 78759 United States
AB: Monthly gravity field coefficients from the GRACE mission for the period from August 2002 to August 2004 are used to create maps of long-wavelength barotropic sea level variations (equivalent water levels) over the ocean. These maps are compared to long-wavelength maps derived from altimetry corrected for steric (non-barotropic) sea level variations. Since the steric sea level variations are based on a monthly climatology, only the seasonal cycle is examined. The altimery - steric data are referenced to the same background barotropic model used in the GRACE processing and are shifted to the same reference frame as GRACE in order to make the comparisons. Similarities and differences are discussed, with a goal to quantify where GRACE ocean observations appear realistic.
DE: 4227 Diurnal, seasonal, and annual cycles
DE: 4556 Sea level variations
DE: 1655 Water cycles (1836)
SC: Geodesy [G]
MN: 2004 AGU Fall Meeting