TOPEX/Poseidon Ground Tracks

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

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...

Early morning at the launch pad

Jason-1: JMR instrument

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.

These photos were taken during the Dual Payload Attach Fitting (DPAF) mating operation with Jason-1. (11/13/01) Photos: Scott Michel

SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, topped with the Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich satellite secured inside its payload fairing, is rolled to Space Launch Complex 4

Jason-3 3D Model

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 ...

t - 7 minutes - Photo: Tom Shain

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

These photos were taken during the Payload Attach Fitting (PAF) mating operation with Jason-1. (11/14/01) Photos: Scott Michel

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

Jason-3 Lifts Off!

t - 10 minutes

Changing conditions in the Pacific have stirred up Earth’s largest ocean and redistributed its heat, piling up warm waters along U.S. Western shores and raising sea level in the process.

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

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.

These photos were taken during the Payload Attach Fitting (PAF) mating operation with Jason-1. (11/14/01) Photos: Scott Michel

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

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

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

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

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.

Our World: How High is the Ocean?