Please Note: Abstract submission is
to Monday, Dec 4th, 2006, 2359 UTC

Abstract submission form can be accessed at the bottom of this page, after Overview, Session Descriptions, and Presentation Guidelines.

If you have any questions, please contact the program committee: Srinivas Bettadpur (Coordinator, UTCSR, srinivas@csr.utexas.edu); Michael Watkins (JPL, michael.watkins@jpl.nasa.gov), Frank Flechtner (GFZ, flechtne@gfz-potsdam.de) or John Ries (UTCSR, ries@csr.utexas.edu).

OVERVIEW

The GRACE Science Team meeting is arranged in a series of moderated discussions on specific themes. Each session consists of a limited number of oral presentations, with time for comments and discussions. The oral presentations are limited to a 12-minute maximum, and could be as short as one page. Brief presentations are strongly encouraged. An abstract submission is required for oral presentations. There is no provision for posters at this meeting. Time limitations may prevent acceptance of all requests for oral presentations, though these can be entered into the Proceedings document.

The Project Status session consists of briefings on the mission status, and includes future science plans, the flight segment technical status, and status and information on the data releases from the GRACE Science Data System.

Abstracts are solicited from the Science Team members and other attendees for presentations in the following areas: Special Topics; and Geophysics & Climate Science (see below for further details). Authors may submit more than one abstract. Shortly after the submission deadline, the Meeting Program will be finalized and announced.

During the abstract submission process

• All information must be entered before hitting the SUBMIT button - you cannot save information and return later to complete the submission.
• Mandatory information includes the author(s) names, presenter's name, paper title, abstract and presenter's email address. The submission may not include any special characters or symbols.
• Every effort will be made to give an opportunity to present to all those who request it, subject to time limitations.

Optional, the GRACE Principal Investigators are asked to submit their investigation title, and some text on the present status and future plans for their respective investigations. You may choose to rewrite you presentation abstract if it fits the purpose. Please use the "For PI Submissions" button at the bottom of this page.

Optional, if you have special requirements or suggestions for new data product definition, or on product accuracy, resolution or latency, we invite you to upload a 2-page (maximum) summary as a text or PDF file (preferred). You can use the Upload Special Request button, located at the foot of this page.

SESSION DESCRIPTIONS

A. Special Topics

A.1 Analysis Scatter: A large variety of methods are being used to extract mass flux estimates from the GRACE data. The variations include methods for global solutions, the post-processing reduction of errors, processing for regional/local solutions, and all the variations therein. Presentations are solicited to answer following questions: What is the "scatter" of mass-flux estimates between these methods? What is it for seasonal variations and for secular rates? Is this scatter geographically dependent? Does it depend on the spatial scales (e.g. river basin scales versus global ocean scales, etc)?

A.2 Making The Case for GRACE-Follow On: The value of long time series of GRACE has been indisputably established. Key questions to consider in this session would include: What is the science rationale for GRACE Follow-On? How large a data gap can be tolerated between GRACE and GRACE Follow-On? What is the science rationale for possible changes in GRACE Follow-On mission design? What technology options are available over the next decade to meet future science needs?

A.3 Processing Techniques: This session solicits papers on new and innovative methods of GRACE science data processing.

B. Geophysics & Climate Science Applications

For each of the following topics, abstracts are solicited that report progress or new applications of GRACE data products to each science area. Interesting questions include: Based on results so far, what are the directions for new research and applications? How can the GRACE data products be altered to suit future applications? What about the background models currently in use? What is known about challenges and limitations of using GRACE jointly with other satellite or ground data?

B.1 Progress in Inter-Disciplinary Applications: This session solicits papers dealing with geodetic and geophysical inference from GRACE products across multiple domains. Papers dealing with results combination of GRACE with data from other missions are welcomed. Authors that find other session descriptions too limiting for their presentation should submit their abstracts to this session as well.

B.2 Greenland & Antarctica Secular Change: This session will address the differences in the various GRACE-derived rate estimates for Greenland and Antarctica. The important distinction from Session A.1 is that here the focus is narrowed to secular change in these two regions; it includes assessments from other techniques; and includes consideration of other science issues that affect interpretation of GRACE results (e.g. GIA, etc).

B.3 Progress in Oceanographic Applications: This session addresses advances in the oceanographic applications of GRACE data. Papers exploring the change in resolution of oceanographic applications, as the GRACE product quality has improved over the generations, are also solicited.

B.4 Progress in Hydrological Applications: Papers are solicited on advances in hydrological applications of GRACE data products.

B.5 Other (non-Gravity) GRACE Applications: Papers are solicited on studies of the GRACE Radio Occultation data; Atmospheric Density and Accelerometry; and other science applications of GRACE data un-related to the gravity fields.

PRESENTATION GUIDELINES

Oral Presentations

A maximum of 12 minutes, including time for questions, is allowed. Overhead (transparency) and screen (beamer) projection will be available. Your presentation must be uploaded prior to the last meeting break before your scheduled talk. Presenters will not be allowed to connect their own laptops or their flash drives at the time of their talks.