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Originally published in Science Express on 10 August 2006
Science 29 September 2006:
Vol. 313. no. 5795, pp. 1958 - 1960
DOI: 10.1126/science.1129007
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Reports

Satellite Gravity Measurements Confirm Accelerated Melting of Greenland Ice Sheet

J. L. Chen,1* C. R. Wilson,1,2 B. D. Tapley1

Using time-variable gravity measurements from the Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) satellite mission, we estimate ice mass changes over Greenland during the period April 2002 to November 2005. After correcting for the effects of spatial filtering and limited resolution of GRACE data, the estimated total ice melting rate over Greenland is –239 ± 23 cubic kilometers per year, mostly from East Greenland. This estimate agrees remarkably well with a recent assessment of –224 ± 41 cubic kilometers per year, based on satellite radar interferometry data. GRACE estimates in southeast Greenland suggest accelerated melting since the summer of 2004, consistent with the latest remote sensing measurements.

1 Center for Space Research, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX 78712, USA.
2 Jackson School of Geosciences, Department of Geological Sciences, University of Texas at Austin, TX 78712, USA.

* To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: chen{at}csr.utexas.edu

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THIS ARTICLE HAS BEEN CITED BY OTHER ARTICLES:
Recent Sea-Level Contributions of the Antarctic and Greenland Ice Sheets.
A. Shepherd and D. Wingham (2007)
Science 315, 1529-1532
   Abstract »    Full Text »    PDF »
Recent Greenland Ice Mass Loss by Drainage System from Satellite Gravity Observations.
S. B. Luthcke, H. J. Zwally, W. Abdalati, D. D. Rowlands, R. D. Ray, R. S. Nerem, F. G. Lemoine, J. J. McCarthy, and D. S. Chinn (2006)
Science 314, 1286-1289
   Abstract »    Full Text »    PDF »

E-Letters:

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For What Minus Sign?
Joseph R North, et al.
Science Online, 6 Mar 2007 [Full text]

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Science. ISSN 0036-8075 (print), 1095-9203 (online)