Title: Developing the Global Geodetic Observing System into a Monitoring System for the Global Water Cycle (IGCP 565 Project)
Session: B.4 - Progress in Hydrological Applications
First Author: Hans-Peter Plag
Presenter: Hans-Peter Plag
Co-Authors: The IGCP 565 Project Team and the Participants of the First IGCP 565 Workshop

Abstract: Geodetic observations of the Earth's time-variable gravity field, shape, and rotation capture the signals of variation in the entire fluid envelope of the solid Earth, including the terrestrial water storage. Therefore, the Global Geodetic Observing System (GGOS) has the capability to monitor mass transport particularly in the global water cycle. The IGCP 565 Project (http://geodesy.unr.edu/igcp565/) aims to utilize this potential and to develop GGOS into a monitoring system for the hydrological cycle on global to regional scales. Key scientific issues addressed are: (1) Development of an integrated dynamic model for the predictions of the geodetic signals induced by surface mass changes on daily to interannual scales; (2) Inversion algorithms for integrated geodetic observations for surface mass changes; (3) Assimilation of observed surface mass changes in hydrological models; and (4) Development of products relevant for regional water management. The research and development is carried out in a number of on-going and planned projects under the umbrella of the IGCP project. The project supports capacity building in space-geodetic data processing, modeling of the hydrological cycle, and interpretation of the observations in terms of terrestrial water storage. A focus is on products for regional water management, particularly in developing countries. Coordination of the research and capacity building is provided through a series of five annual workshops.

The first project workshop will be held on December 11, 2008 prior to the GRACE Science Team meeting. The focus of this workshop is on a review of the "Science of geodetic monitoring of the hydrological cycle" (http://geodesy.unr.edu/igcp565/workshops/). The presentation will briefly introduce the IGCP 565 project and report the main conclusion of the first Project Workshop.