Satellite measurements reveal gravity dip from ice loss in West Antarctica
Tuesday, September 30, 2014 - 22:50
in Astronomy & Space
Although not designed to map changes in Earth's gravity over time, ESA's GOCE satellite has shown that the ice lost from West Antarctica over the last few years has left its signature. More than doubling its planned life in orbit, GOCE spent four years measuring Earth's gravity in unprecedented detail. Researchers have found that the decrease in the mass of ice during this period was mirrored in GOCE's measurements.