GRACE-FO Level-2 Monthly Geopotential Spherical Harmonics CSR Release 06.3 (RL06.3)

(GRACEFO_L2_CSR_MONTHLY_0063)
Version6.3
Processing Level2
Start/Stop Date2018-May-22 to Present
Short NameGRACEFO_L2_CSR_MONTHLY_0063
DescriptionFOR EXPERT USE ONLY. This dataset contains estimates of the total month-by-month geopotential of the Earth, derived from the Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment Follow-On (GRACE-FO) mission measurements, produced by the University of Texas (at Austin) Center for Space Research (CSR). The data are provided as spherical harmonic coefficients, averaged over approximately a month, and available from 2018 onward. These coefficients are derived from the Microwave Instrument (MWI) measured intersatellite range changes between the twin spacecraft of the GRACE-FO (Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment Follow-On) mission. The GRACE-FO mission, a joint partnership between NASA and the German Research Centre for Geosciences (GFZ), launched on 22 May 2018. It uses twin satellites to accurately map variations in the Earth's gravity field and surface mass distribution. It is designed as a successor to the Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) mission.

This GRACE-FO RL06.3 data is an updated version of the GRACE-FO RL06.1 Level-2 data products. RL06.3 differs from RL06.1 only in the Level-1B accelerometer transplant data that is used for the GF2 satellite: Level-2 RL06.3 uses ACH1B RL04 that is contained within the ACX2 Level-1 bundle, which replaces ACH1B RL04 contained within the ACX Level-1 bundle that was used for Level-2 RL06.1 (note: ACX2-L1B is only applicable for 01/2023 onwards in wide-pointing operational mode; from 6/2018 through 12/2022, RL06.1 and RL06.3 GRACE-FO data are identical and based on ACX; ACX2 is not available for 03/2023-06/2023 as the satellites were not in wide-pointing mode during that period). All GRACE-FO RL06.3 Level-2 products are fully compatible with the GRACE RL06 level-2 fields. Refer to the mission page for more information.
DOI10.5067/GFL20-MC063
MeasurementSOLID EARTH > GRAVITY/GRAVITATIONAL FIELD > GRAVITY
Platform/Sensor
GRACE-FO
Platform
Name: Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment Follow-On (GRACE-FO)
Orbit Period: 94.5 minutes
Inclination Angle: 89 degrees
/
GRACE-FO MWI
SENSOR
Name: GRACE-FO Microwave Instrument (GRACE-FO MWI)
Swath Width: 24, 32 ghz
Description: Microwave frequencies the instrument operates at.

GRACE-FO
Platform
Name: Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment Follow-On (GRACE-FO)
Orbit Period: 94.5 minutes
Inclination Angle: 89 degrees
/
GRACE-FO LRI
SENSOR
Name: GRACE-FO Laser Ranging Interferometer (GRACE-FO LRI)

GRACE-FO
Platform
Name: Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment Follow-On (GRACE-FO)
Orbit Period: 94.5 minutes
Inclination Angle: 89 degrees
/
ACC
SENSOR
Name: Accelerometer (ACC)

GRACE-FO
Platform
Name: Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment Follow-On (GRACE-FO)
Orbit Period: 94.5 minutes
Inclination Angle: 89 degrees
/
GRACE-FO SCA
SENSOR
Name: GRACE-FO Star Camera Assembly (GRACE-FO SCA)

ProjectGravity Recovery and Climate Experiment Follow-On (GRACE-FO)
Data ProviderPublisher: PO.DAAC
Creator: GRACE-FO
Release Place: PO.DAAC
Release Date: 2024-Jun-15
Resource: https://gracefo.jpl.nasa.gov/

FormatASCII
Keyword(s)Gravity, GRACEFO, RL06.3, CSR, SPHERICAL HARMONIC, Non-Tidal
Questions related to this dataset? Contact podaac@podaac.jpl.nasa.gov
Resolution
Spatial Resolution: 330000 Meters x 330000 Meters
Temporal Resolution: Monthly - < Annual
 
Coverage
Region: GLOBAL
North Bounding Coordinate: 89 degrees
South Bounding Coordinate: -89 degrees
West Bounding Coordinate: -180 degrees
East Bounding Coordinate: 180 degrees
Time Span: 2018-May-22 to Present
 
Projection
Projection Type: Spherical
Projection Detail: N/A
Ellipsoid: WGS 84
 
Citation is critically important for dataset documentation and discovery. Please cite the data as follows, and cite the reference papers when it is appropriate.
Citation GRACE-FO. 2024. GRACE-FO Level-2 Monthly Geopotential Spherical Harmonics CSR Release 06.3. Ver. 6.3. PO.DAAC, CA, USA. Dataset accessed [YYYY-MM-DD] at https://doi.org/10.5067/GFL20-MC063

Download Citation
RIS BIB XML JSON-LD

For more information see Data Citations and Acknowledgments.
Journal Reference Landerer, F. W., Flechtner, F. M., Save, H., Webb, F. H., Bandikova, T., Bertiger, W. I., et al. (2020). Extending the global mass change data record: GRACE Follow-On instrument and science data performance. Geophysical Research Letters, 47, e2020GL088306. https://doi.org/10.1029/2020GL088306

.