Watching Our Oceans

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

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

For over 20 years NASA has been tracking the global surface topography of the ocean in order to understand the important role it plays in our daily lives. Climate change is causing our Ocean to war...

This visualization shows total sea level change between 1992 and 2019, based on data collected from the TOPEX/Poseidon, Jason-1, Jason-2, and Jason-3 satellites. Blue regions are where sea level ha...

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 Instruments

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

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

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

The ocean-observing Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich satellite launched from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket on Nov. 21, 2020 at 12:17 p.m. EST

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.

Jason-1 Spacecraft Animation

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

Recorded live launch broadcast of Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich

SSH and SST - Indian Ocean

Ice covers 10 percent of Earth's surface and helps moderate the planet's temperature.

Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich Launch footage

Here we provide side by side comparisons of Pacific Ocean sea surface height (SSH) anomalies of what is presently happening in 2015 with the Pacific Ocean signal during the famous 1997 El Niño.

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.

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).

Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich will join a long-standing family of Earth observing satellites from NASA and European partners.

OSTM/Jason-2 - Data/ground track animation

This video discusses the water cycle, which is the movement of water around the Earth, and its importance to life. Changes to the water cycle affect climate and vice versa.

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...

B-roll for media. The Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich is an Earth-observing satellite that will collect data on sea level and how it changes over time. By measuring sea surface height, scientists world...