GRACE, the Chandler Wobble and Interpretations of Terrestrial Water Transient Storage ()
ABSTRACT
Measuring Terrestrial Water Transient Storage in its various components
of Earth by orbiting sensors on satellites has been a quest for more than 40 years.
Not only in the Hydrology community but also Climatology and Meteorology,
Geology, Geodesy, Geophysics and Oceanography have the
challenge to attempt to first learn how to measure, then measure and assess the
results. The importance is that Earth’s environments are changing and human
communities, local and national governing bodies need ability to assess current
hazards and to have predictive capabilities for society both local and
international. So too the Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) has
joined the ongoing international space-based missions. There will be more after
GRACE. For now is an important juncture in the effort to measure Terrestrial
Water Transient Storage to ask, “What can GRACE measure and what is GRACE
measuring”? Results of this investigation of the GRACE datasets by spectral
methods indicate the detection of the Chandler Wobble but the Annual Wobble is
aliased and below significance. Therefore, interpretations of Terrestrial Water
Transient Storage are failed.
Share and Cite:
Muskett, R. (2021) GRACE, the Chandler Wobble and Interpretations of Terrestrial Water Transient Storage.
International Journal of Geosciences,
12, 102-120. doi:
10.4236/ijg.2021.122007.