SSH and SST - Indian Ocean

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 ...

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...

SSH and SST - Global

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

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...

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

Watching Our Oceans

After living in coastal Virginia and seeing the effects of climate change firsthand, Ben Hamlington is now researching sea level rise at NASA JPL.

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

Jason-1 Spacecraft Animation

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

TOPEX/Poseidon Instruments

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

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.

Experts from NASA, ESA, EUMETSAT, and NOAA discuss the upcoming launch of Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich in a recorded live broadcast

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

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...

NASA Climate Watcher Waves Goodbye

Earth’s rising seas are some of the most visible signs of our warming planet. Over the last 23 years, NASA satellite missions have observed a steady rise in global sea levels as polar ice sheets me...

This animation illustrates the evolution of sea surface temperature (SST) anomalies (relative to the respective normal state) in the Pacific Ocean associated with the 2015-2016 El Niño.

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

OSTM/Jason-2 - All instruments plus data animation

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 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.