Volker Klemann

The updated ESA Earth System Model for future gravity mission simulation studies

A new synthetic model of the time-variable global gravity field is now available based on realistic mass variability in atmosphere, oceans, terrestrial water storage, continental ice-sheets, and the solid Earth. The updated ESA Earth System Model is provided in Stokes coefficients up to degree and order 180 with a temporal resolution of 6 h covering the time period 1995–2006, and can be readily applied as a source model in future gravity mission simulation studies. The model contains plausible variability and trends in both low-degree coefficients and the global mean eustatic sea level. It depicts reasonable mass variability all over the globe at a wide range of frequencies including multi-year trends, year-to-year variability, and seasonal variability even at very fine spatial scales, which is important for a realistic representation of spatial aliasing and leakage. In particular on these small spatial scales between 50 and 250 km, the model contains a range of signals that have not been reliably observed yet by satellite gravimetry. In addition, the updated Earth System Model provides substantial high-frequency variability at periods down to a few hours only, thereby allowing to critically test strategies for the minimization of temporal aliasing.

DynaQlim – Upper Mantle Dynamics and Quaternary Climate in Cratonic Areas

The isostatic adjustment of the solid Earth to the glacial loading (GIA, Glacial Isostatic Adjustment) with its temporal signature offers a great opportunity to retrieve information of Earth’s upper mantle to the changing mass of glaciers and ice sheets, which in turn is driven by variations in Quaternary climate. DynaQlim (Upper Mantle Dynamics and Quaternary Climate in Cratonic Areas) has its focus to study the relations between upper mantle dynamics, its composition and physical properties, temperature, rheology, and Quaternary climate. Its regional focus lies on the cratonic areas of northern Canada and Scandinavia.

Ice flow and isostasy of the north polar cap of Mars

Abstract The flow of the north polar cap of Mars, which is assumed to consist mainly of H2O ice, is investigated with the three-dimensional ice-sheet model SICOPOLIS . We consider a simplified topography and a climatic forcing varying between the present state and warmer, more humid conditions in the past with an obliquity cycle of 1.3 million earth years (yr). Furthermore, SICOPOLIS is coupled with the three-layer viscoelastic ground model displace to simulate the isostatic response of the underlying lithosphere/mantle system. Likely ice-flow velocities at present are a few mm/yr, along with surface accumulation/ablation rates of the order of 0.1 mm water equiv./yr and basal temperatures more than 50°C below pressure melting. Thicknesses of the rheological lithosphere of 50– 400 km are consistent with geothermal heat fluxes of 15– 36 mW m −2 , with some evidence for values of ca. 80– 120 km and 20– 30 mW m −2 , respectively. For an Earth-like upper-mantle viscosity of O (10 21 Pa s ) , relaxation times of the lithosphere/mantle system are much shorter than significant load changes, so that the mantle behaves as an inviscid fluid. The poor correlation between the computed and measured free-air gravity signal indicates that it is determined by mass anomalies of a different origin.

Ground Deformations around the Toktogul Reservoir, Kyrgyzstan, from Envisat ASAR and Sentinel-1 Data—A Case Study about the Impact of Atmospheric Corrections on InSAR Time Series

We present ground deformations in response to water level variations at the Toktogul Reservoir, located in Kyrgyzstan, Central Asia. Ground deformations were measured by Envisat Advanced Synthetic Aperture Radar (ASAR) and Sentinel-1 Differential Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (DInSAR) imagery covering the time periods 2004–2009 and 2014–2016, respectively. The net reservoir water level, as measured by satellite radar altimetry, decreased approximately 60 m (∼13.5 km3) from 2004–2009, whereas, for 2014–2016, the net water level increased by approximately 51 m (∼11.2 km3). The individual Small BAseline Subset (SBAS) interferograms were heavily influenced by atmospheric effects that needed to be minimized prior to the time-series analysis. We tested several approaches including corrections based on global numerical weather model data, such as the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) operational forecast data, the ERA-5 reanalysis, and the ERA-Interim reanalysis, as well as phase-based methods, such as calculating a simple linear dependency on the elevation or the more sophisticated power–law approach. Our findings suggest that, for the high-mountain Toktogul area, the power–law correction performs the best. Envisat descending time series for the period of water recession reveal mean line-of-sight (LOS) uplift rates of 7.8 mm/year on the northern shore of the Toktogul Reservoir close to the Toktogul city area. For the same area, Sentinel-1 ascending and descending time series consistently show a subsidence behaviour due to the replenishing of the water reservoir, which includes intra-annual LOS variations on the order of 30 mm. A decomposition of the LOS deformation rates of both Sentinel-1 orbits revealed mean vertical subsidence rates of 25 mm/year for the common time period of March 2015–November 2016, which is in very good agreement with the results derived from elastic modelling based on the TEA12 Earth model.