QuickTime VR of TOPEX/Poseidon

The SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying the Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich spacecraft lifts off from Space Launch Complex 4 at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, Nov. 21, 2020, at 9:17 a.m. PST

OSTM/Jason-2 Artist's Concept

This artist's concept shows Jason-3 over the California coast.

Jason-1 readies for launch in its bay at Vandenberg, AFB (10/31/01)

TOPEX/Poseidon Poster (no text)

Watching Our Oceans

Jason-1: LRA instrument

TOPEX/Poseidon Launch

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...

TOPEX/Poseidon over Earth

Jason-3 Animation

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...

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

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...

OSTM/Jason-2 Line Drawing

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.

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.

Ariane 42P launch vehicle

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

Jason-3 Launch

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

The SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying the Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich spacecraft lifts off from Space Launch Complex 4 at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, Nov. 21, 2020, at 9:17 a.m. PST

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...

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