SSH and SST - Pacific Ocean

Greenland and Antarctica are home to most of the world's glacial ice – including its only two ice sheets – making them areas of particular interest to scientists.

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...

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

Watch the Jason-3 Science Briefing from Friday, Jan 15, 2016 - panelists discussed the science and research of the Jason-3 mission.

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

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).

Growing up in landlocked Zimbabwe, NASA JPL engineer Shailen Desai was far from the ocean but still experienced its effects on the climate. Now, he is contributing to an international effort to tra...

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...

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

TOPEX/Poseidon Instruments

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

SSH and SST - Indian Ocean

Jason-CS/Sentinel-6 - How they will work

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...

Decades of Discovery - How altimeters help us every day.

For NASA scientist Severine Fournier, studying our planet knows no borders.

Watching Our Oceans

Sea Level Isn't Level - Why it matters

The joint U.S.-European Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich is the next in a line of Earth-observing satellites that will collect the most accurate data yet on sea level and how it changes over time. With ...

Sea Surface Height - Global Average from 1993 - 2011.

SSH and SST - Global

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.

Our World: How High is the Ocean?

Global sea level rise is accelerating incrementally over time rather than increasing at a steady rate, as previously thought, according to a new study based on 25 years of NASA and European satelli...

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