The release 06 (RL06) of the Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) Atmosphere and Ocean De-Aliasing Level-1B (AOD1B) product has been prepared for use as a time-variable background model in global gravity research. Available since the year 1976 with a temporal resolution of 3 hr, the product is provided in Stokes coefficients up to degree and order 180. RL06 separates tidal and non-tidal signals, and has an improved long-term consistency due to the introduction of a time-invariant reference orography in continental regions. Variance reduction tests performed with globally distributed in situ ocean bottom pressure recordings and sea-surface height anomalies from Jason-2 over a range of different frequency bands indicate a generally improved performance of RL06 compared to its predecessor. Orbit tests for two altimetry satellites remain inconclusive, but GRACE K-band residuals are reduced by 0.031 nm s⁻² in a global average, and by more than 0.5 nm s⁻² at numerous places along the Siberian shelf when applying the latest AOD1B release. We therefore recommend AOD1B RL06 for any upcoming satellite gravimetry reprocessing effort.

[1] An improved version of the OMCT ocean model with 1° spatial resolution provides bottom pressure anomalies for the new release 05 of the GRACE Atmosphere and Ocean Dealiasing Level 1B (AOD1B) product. For high-frequency signals with periods below 30 days, this model explains up to 10 cm² of the residual sea level variance seen by ENVISAT in large parts of the Southern Ocean, corresponding to about 40% of the observed sea level residuals in many open ocean regions away from the tropics. Comparable amounts of variance are also explained by AOD1B RL05 for colocated in situ ocean bottom pressure recorders. Although secular trends contained in AOD1B RL05 cause GRACE KBRR residuals to increase in shallow water regions, we find a reduction of those residuals over all open ocean areas, indicating that AOD1B RL05 is much better suited to remove nontidal high-frequency mass variability from satellite gravity observations than previous versions of AOD1B.