During the recent decades, space missions (e.g., CHAMP, GOCE, GRACE and Swarm) have been developed by space agencies in Europe and the USA to measure the Earth’s gravity and magnetic fields and their spatio-temporal variations. These successful missions have already provided a wealth of groundbreaking results about the permanent and time-variable gravity and magnetic fields of the Earth. However, more can be learned about the Earth’s structure by combining data of the gravity and magnetic fields, together with Earth’s rotation data routinely measured using space geodesy techniques, as well as with the most up-to-date modelling of the Earth's internal structure. Use in synergy of these global observables and model data represents a unique way to further investigate the physics of the deep Earth's interior. In addition to the well-known correlation between Earth’s rotation and magnetic field observed at interannual and decadal time scales, recent studies have reported unexpected correlation between spatio-temporal changes of the gravity field and magnetic field, also at interannual time scale. These changes may result from processes occurring in the liquid core and at the core-mantle boundary. This book gathers a series of chapters that provide state-of-the art overviews on the gravity field, magnetic field and Earth’s rotation observations, and on their interpretation in terms of the deep Earth’s structure, as well as on core dynamics and processes at the core-mantle boundary. The chapters 'Gravity Variations and Ground Deformations Resulting from Core Dynamics', 'Rapid Variations of Earth’s Core Magnetic Field', 'A Dynamical Prospective on Interannual Geomagnetic Field Changes', 'Core Eigenmodes and their Impact on the Earth’s Rotation', 'Earth’s Rotation: Observations and Relation to Deep Interior', 'Interiors of Earth-Like Planets and Satellites of the Solar System', 'Correction to: Interiors of Earth-like planets and satellites of the Solar System', 'Fluid Dynamics Experiments for Planetary Interiors', 'Structure, Materials and Processes in the Earth’s Core and Mantle', 'Correction to: Structure, Materials and Processes in the Earth’s Core and Mantle' and 'Applications and Challenges of GRACE and GRACE Follow-On Satellite Gravimetry' are available open access under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License via link.springer.com. Previously published in Surveys in Geophysics, Volume 43, Issue 1, 2022

In the recent years, space-based observation methods have led to a subst- tially improved understanding of Earth system. Geodesy and geophysics are contributing to this development by measuring the temporal and spatial va- ations of the Earth’s shape, gravity ?eld, and magnetic ?eld, as well as at- sphere density. In the frame of the GermanR&D programmeGEOTECHNO- LOGIEN,researchprojectshavebeen launchedin2002relatedto the satellite missions CHAMP, GRACE and ESA’s planned mission GOCE, to comp- mentary terrestrial and airborne sensor systems and to consistent and stable high-precision global reference systems for satellite and other techniques. In the initial 3-year phase of the research programme (2002-2004), new gravity ?eld models have been computed from CHAMP and GRACE data which outperform previous models in accuracy by up to two orders of m- nitude for the long and medium wavelengths. A special highlight is the - termination of seasonal gravity variations caused by changes in continental water masses. For GOCE, to be launched in 2006, new gravity ?eld analysis methods are under development and integrated into the ESA processing s- tem. 200,000 GPS radio occultation pro?les, observed by CHAMP, have been processed on an operational basis. They represent new and excellent inf- mation on atmospheric refractivity, temperature and water vapor. These new developments require geodetic space techniques (such as VLBI, SLR, LLR, GPS) to be combined and synchronized as if being one global instrument.

Significant advances in the scientific use of space based data were achieved in three joint interdisciplinary projects based on data of the satellite missions CHAMP, GRACE and GOCE within the R&D program GEOTECHNOLOGIEN. It was possible to explore and monitor changes related to the Earth’s surface, the boundary layer between atmosphere and solid earth, and the oceans and ice shields. This boundary layer is our habitat and therefore is in the focus of our interests. The Earth’s surface is subject to anthropogenetic changes, to changes driven by the Sun, Moon and planets, and by changes caused by processes in the Earth system. The state parameters and their changes are best monitored from space. The theme “Observation of the System Earth from Space” offers comprehensive insights into a broad range of research topics relevant to society including geodesy, oceanography, atmospheric science (from meteorology to climatology), hydrology and glaciology.

NASA's Earth Science Division (ESD) conducts a wide range of satellite and suborbital missions to observe Earth's land surface and interior, biosphere, atmosphere, cryosphere, and oceans as part of a program to improve understanding of Earth as an integrated system. Earth observations provide the foundation for critical scientific advances and environmental data products derived from these observations are used in resource management and for an extraordinary range of societal applications including weather forecasts, climate projections, sea level change, water management, disease early warning, agricultural production, and the response to natural disasters. As the complexity of societal infrastructure and its vulnerability to environmental disruption increases, the demands for deeper scientific insights and more actionable information continue to rise. To serve these demands, NASA's ESD is challenged with optimizing the partitioning of its finite resources among measurements intended for exploring new science frontiers, carefully characterizing long-term changes in the Earth system, and supporting ongoing societal applications. This challenge is most acute in the decisions the Division makes between supporting measurement continuity of data streams that are critical components of Earth science research programs and the development of new measurement capabilities. This report seeks to establish a more quantitative understanding of the need for measurement continuity and the consequences of measurement gaps. Continuity of NASA's Earth's Observations presents a framework to assist NASA's ESD in their determinations of when a measurement or dataset should be collected for durations longer than the typical lifetimes of single satellite missions.

Topics include: Physical properties of Earth materials; Earth's magnetic field: constraints on deep processes; Core dynamics and the geodynamo; Structure and interactions in the system inner core, outer core and mantle; Interaction of plate tectonics and deep mantle processes; High resolution images of the Earth's interior; Physical and chemical discontinuities and reservoirs in the Earth's mantle; Deep interiors of other planets.

Reviews the current status and future development of remote sensing technology for the mapping of geological, vegetation and forest resources. The book also covers the orientation of the Earth.