Jason-3 Animation

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

NASA Climate Watcher Waves Goodbye

Ariane 42P launch vehicle

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

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

Headed for Orbit!

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

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

Launch preparations are progressing! (11/21/01) Photos: Stacy Mitchell of John Hopkins APL/TIMED project

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

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

Sea levels across the globe are rising as a result of a changing climate — and the rate at which they are rising is accelerating. NASA Science Live was recorded Tuesday, Nov. 17, 2020, and featured...

This illustration shows the Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich spacecraft in orbit above Earth with its deployable solar panels extended.

Oceans of Climate Change

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.

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

High Resolution Jason-1 launch images

OSTM/Jason-2 - All instruments plus data animation

OSTM/Jason-2 Artist's Concept

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...

Fathoming the forces that determine global sea levels can be daunting. We present a guide to the basics of ocean surface topography.

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

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

Jason-3 3D Model

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...