Measuring Sea Level from Space Gets a Boost with New Satellite

A new satellite launched by a trans-Atlantic coalition of space agencies will help scientists interpret sea-level changes and ocean currents in relation to climate change. Equipped to measure sea surface height to within three centimeters and monitor 95 percent of the world’s ice-free ocean, the Jason-2 will join a sibling satellite, which has been in orbit since 2001, to bring detailed coverage of ocean topography, allowing scientists to infer how much solar energy is in the ocean and how climate change affects ocean dynamics. A joint venture of NASA, the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the French Space Agency, and the European Meteorology Satellite Service, the Jason-2’s three-year mission is part of the first multi-decade observation of sea level from space, which began with the Poseidon satellite in 1992.