Watching Our Oceans

Our planet is changing. Our ocean is rising. And it affects us all. That’s why a new international satellite will continue the decades-long watch over our global ocean and help us better understand...

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

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

Decades of Discovery - How altimeters help us every day.

SSH and SST - Indian Ocean

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.

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...

The Argo stop-motion animation aims to inspire children (and adults) to engage with marine science. It is quirky, fun and informative at the same time. The animation explains what an Argo float is,...

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

Oceans of Climate Change

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

For NASA JPL engineer Parag Vaze, studying Earth’s rising ocean has been a career three decades in the making.

Sea Surface Height - Global Average from 1993 - 2011.

NASA Climate Watcher Waves Goodbye

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.

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).

Recorded live launch broadcast of Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich

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

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

TOPEX/Poseidon Ground Tracks

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.

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

Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich Launch footage

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...