2024-06-08

JWG C.2: Polar geodesy for understanding climate change

Chair: Ingo Sasgen (Germany)
Vice chair: Bert Wouters (Netherlands)
Affiliations: Commissions 2 and 3, GGOS

Introduction

Geodetic observations play a pivotal role in comprehending the current state of the cryosphere under climate change. Mass change data from missions like GRACE,GRACE-FO, and upcoming missions such as GRACE-C (scheduled launch 2027) andthe MAGIC constellation including NGGM (scheduled launch 2032) represent crucialvariables that have to be monitored space. In addition, gravity field measurements, observations like GNSS surface deformations are essential for untangling complex sources of mass change originating from various processes. In the past decades, geodetic observations have proven to be critical for refining cryosphere change trajectories, and, particularly in assessing the sea-level contribution of ice sheets and glaciers for climate projections. Nevertheless, the exploitation of the data has not been achieved to their full potential.Therefore, our working group focuses on facilitating the direct utilization of geodetic mass change products by the ice and polar climate modeling communities. Historically, challenges hindered the full use of geodetic data, including issues like accessibility, limitations in temporal and spatial resolution, lack of expert validation, meaningful uncertainty descriptions, misconceptions about the data, and independence from auxiliary sources entering more complex inversion approaches. This has led to restraints concerning use of geodetic data within the ice and polar climate modeling communities.

Objectives

To enhance the use of mass change data, we propose improvements in three main areas improving the interface between geodetic data providers and ice and polar climate modelers:

  • Evaluate approaches for combining gravimetry with other data for downscaling
  • Conduct a test case on transient calibration of ice sheet projections using geodetic data
  • Explore prospects for resolving critical processes in future gravity missions
Sequentially, these points aim to enhance mass change data, apply the data in atestcase, and anticipate limitations lifted by future missions.

Activities

The means to achieve the objectives stated above are:

  • In-person workshops
  • Online conferences
  • Regular consultations with working group leads
  • Promotion of young researchers at conferences
  • Dedicated scientific paper (potentially) 
The involvement of early career scientists is crucial, particularly for point (3), to train the next generation of geodesists for future missions. Established links of the working group leaders to younger ice and polar climate modelers open to using geodetic data will also be utilized for point (2). Substantial experience in different satellite observations is required for point (1), which the working group leads are more than willing to share with early career polar geodesists in the context of the working group

Members

  • Mike Bevis (USA)
  • William Colgan (Denmark)
  • Xavier Fettweis (Belgium)
  • Dana Floricioiu (Germany)
  • Kristine Larson (USA)
  • Lin Liu (Hong Kong)
  • Malcolm McMillan (UK)
  • Brice Noël (Belgium)
  • Masashi Niwano (Japan)
  • Louise Sandberg Sørensen (Denmark)
  • (pending conf.) Michael Zemp (Switzerland)
  • (pending conf.) Mark Tamisiea (USA)
  • (pending conf.) Mariia Usoltseva (Germany)
  • (pending conf.) Matthias Willen (Germany)

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