News related to GRACE Gravity Data
This page is regularly updated and contains important news about GRACE data products from the Science Data System (SDS) as well as useful hints how to use the most recent GRACE RL02/RL03 Level-1B and RL06 Level-2 data. Additional information may also be taken from the monthly GRACE SDS newsletters.
2021
December 2021:
- An updated version 0004 of the GFZ RL06 and COST-G RL01 GravIS Level-3 products for TWS and OBP has been released and is available for download at ISDC.
2020
Oktober 2020:
- An updated version 0003 of the GFZ RL06 and COST-G RL01 GravIS Level-3 products for TWS and OBP has been released and is available for download at ISDC.
June 2020:
- GFZ has released an updated version 0002 of its GRACE/GRACE-FO RL06 Level-2B and Level-3 products which are available for download at ISDC. These user-friendly mass anomaly products are visualized and described at the web portal GravIS (Gravity Information Service) which has been updated as well and now incorporates also Level-2B/Level-3 products of the GRACE COST-G RL01 time series (more information about COST-G can be found here).
March 2020
- Monthly GFZ GRACE RL06 normal equations (up to degree/order 96x96) in SINEX format are now also available via ISDC's FTP server.
2019
June 2019:
- GFZ has delivered GRACE RL06 Level-2 products for November 2016 till June 2017.
April 2019:
- GFZ has relaunched its web portal GravIS (Gravity Information Service) with user-friendly mass anomaly products based on the latest GFZ GRACE RL06 time series. The Level-2B and Level-3 products presented at GravIS are now available for download at ISDC in the subdirectory.
- Level-1B KBR1B and SCA1B RL03 data is now available for the entire GRACE mission period including the period from November2016 till June 2017. For these months, the ACC transplant data for GRACE-B is now also included in the Level-1B RL03 data set (labeled as ACT1B). It is recommended to use these new ACT1B transplant products rather than the previously distributed transplant products (which were labeled as ACC1B RLR3 products).
- CSR has delivered GRACE RL06 Level-2 products for November 2016 till June 2017.
March 2019:
- GFZ has delivered GRACE RL06 Level-2 products for April 2002 till December 2002.
- JPL has delivered GRACE RL06 Level-2 products for November 2016 till June 2017.
2018
December 2018:
- GFZ has delivered GRACE RL06 Level-2 products for January 2015 till August 2016
November 2018:
- The GRACE mission ended with last science data collected in June 2017, and the satellites re-entering in December 2017 and March 2018.
- CSR, GFZ and JPL are in progress to reprocess the complete GRACE mission. The resulting RL06 Level-2 products are based on RL03 KBR1B and SCA1B instrument data, improved background models such as AOD1B RL06 and updated standards. RL06 will serve as the basis for extension of the GRACE time series with GRACE-FO data.
- The following GRACE RL06 data products and related documentation are currently available:
- Level-1B KBR1B and SCA1B RL03 data for the period April 2002 till August 2016
- Level-2 GSM products in terms of spherical harmonic coefficients up to degree and order 60x60 and 96x96 for the periods
- April 2002 till August 2016 (CSR)
- April 2002 till August 2016 (JPL)
- January 2003 till November 2014 (GFZ)
(Note: missing products from all centers are coming soon! Please check the archives regularly.)
- Corresponding Level-2 GAA, GAB, GAC and GAD products up to degree and order 180x180
- CSR/GFZ/JPL RL06 Level-2 Release Notes
- CSR/GFZ/JPL RL06 Level-2 Processing Standards Documents
- An updated version of the Level-2 User Handbook describing the new Level-2 filenames and YAML headers
- The SDS is looking forward to get user feedback on the data quality, changes, and any open questions related to the new GRACE RL06 data products.