Oceans of Climate Change

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket lifts off from Space Launch Complex 4 at Vandenberg Air Force Base carrying the Jason-3 spacecraft. Liftoff was at 10:42 a.m. PST (1:42 p.m. EST).

The Jason-3 satellite, launched on January 17, 2016, is allowing scientists to continue a 23-year record of crucial ocean monitoring.

A key ocean observation satellite has been named after Earth scientist Michael Freilich

On the left is Sea Surface Height Anomalies (SSHA) relative to the sea level mean (1993-2018). On the right is Global Mean Sea Level (GMSL) with the sea level trend as the straight line. The data a...

NASA and its partners announced the renaming of the mission, previously known as Sentinel-6A/Jason-CS.

SSH and SST - Global

The Jason-2 satellite sees something brewing in the Pacific. Researchers say it could be a significant El Niño with implications for global weather and climate.

Fathoming the forces that determine global sea levels can be daunting. We present a guide to the basics of ocean surface topography.

Earth’s global sea levels are rising – and are doing so at an accelerating rate.

A look at how NASA is dealing with the threat of sea level rise to its coastal infrastructure.

NASA and its U.S. and international partners have teamed up to launch a new Earth-observing satellite called Sentinel-6B that will measure sea surface height of most of the planet’s ocean. These ob...

It’s not only water processes that play a role in global sea level rise – ground movements can play a significant role as well.

Decades of Discovery - How altimeters help us every day.

To provide scientists with essential information about global and regional changes in the seas, NASA will launch the Jason-3 satellite from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California.

Launching aboard the joint U.S.-European Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich satellite is NASA’s next instrument that will help improve weather forecasting.

The ocean is responsible for Earth's mild climate and makes life on Earth possible for all creatures.

Karl and Seymour learn how carbon dioxide is formed in this sketch from The Lollygaggers, a global warming sketch comedy.

On Aug. 26, 2015 at 9:30 a.m. PT, NASA hosted a media teleconference to discuss recent insights on sea level rise and the continuing challenge of predicting how fast and how much sea level will ris...

TOPEX/Poseidon Ground Tracks

In many communities in the U.S., sea level rise is already a factor in people’s lives in the form of high-tide flooding.

It's hard to "see" sea level rise by just looking at the ocean, but its effects are very real.

El Niño is characterized by unusually warm ocean temperatures in the eastern equatorial Pacific. The warmer water associated with El Niño displaces colder water in the upper layer of the ocean caus...

For NASA engineer Shannon Statham, building spacecraft is all about being creative.

One of the best ways to understand Earth's ocean is from the perspective of space.

Watch the Jason-3 Mission Briefing from Friday, Jan 15, 2016 - panelists gave an overview of the Jason-3 mission.