GRACE GAC: Non-Tidal Atmosphere and Ocean Geopotential Coefficients

Geopotential field estimates derived from the Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) mission measurements and a non-tidal oceanic and atmospheric model. The data are in spherical harmonics averaged over approximately a month, produced by the Center for Space Research (CSR) at the University of Texas at Austin for NASA. The primary objective is to obtain accurate estimates of the mean and time-variable components of Earth's gravity field variations.

Use Cases

• Modeling global ocean mass changes based on non-tidal oceanic geopotential coefficients.
• Analyzing atmospheric pressure variations and their impact on gravity based on atmospheric model data.
• Studying long-term climate signals through time-variable gravity field components.
• Validating hydrological and glaciological mass balance models using satellite-derived gravity data.

Strengths

• Data originates from the established GRACE mission, a dedicated gravity measurement satellite system.
• Includes non-tidal oceanic and atmospheric corrections from a model produced by the Center for Space Research (CSR).
• Provides time-variable components with approximately monthly temporal resolution.

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
• Description metadata is limited; actual data quality requires manual inspection after download.

Provenance

Source

National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), Center for Space Research (CSR) at University of Texas at Austin.

Collection Method

Derived from continuous microwave ranging and accelerometer measurements between twin GRACE spacecraft.

Time Range

Temporal coverage is not explicitly stated in the provided input.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-03 13 01:41:03.353048; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Global coverage from satellite measurements.