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Since 1992, precise measurements of the global ocean the U.S. portion of the ocean surface topography mis- terminating the historic mission in January 2006. The
surface topography from space have revolutionized our sions for NASA. satellite remains safely in orbit 1,336 kilometers (830
understanding of the ocean and global climate. miles) above Earth.
The mission’s most important achievement was deter-
Faces of a Changing Ocean mining the patterns of ocean circulation — how heat Extending the Legacy
stored in the ocean moves from one place to another. The Jason-1 Mission and Beyond
These data globes, created with radar altimeter Most of the heat that makes Earth capable of support-
measurements from Topex/Poseidon and Jason-1, ing life comes from the Sun. Both the atmosphere and Jason-1 flew in a tandem mission with Topex/Posei-
represent 14 years of science data delivered by these the ocean absorb some of this heat, but the ocean don for nearly three years before the older spacecraft
satellites during their continuing voyage of discovery. does a much better job of holding on to it. The top three ceased operations. Together the two satellites were
Launched on August 10, 1992, Topex/Poseidon was meters of the ocean contain more heat than the entire able to collect twice the amount of data, revealing
the first great oceanographic research vessel to sail atmosphere. It is the ocean’s ability to hold heat that details of smaller-scale ocean phenomena such as
into space. Its follow-on, Jason-1, launched on Decem- makes ocean circulation a driving force of climate. coastal tides, ocean eddies and currents. Now flying
ber 7, 2001, continues making the precise measure- solo, Jason-1 continues observations of ocean circula-
ments of the ocean surface begun by Topex/Poseidon. Topex/Poseidon provided the most complete, long- tion, and is providing further insights into the relation-
term, global record of surface ocean circulation ever ship between the ocean and climate.
The globes show the average annual sea-surface collected. For the first time, scientists could compare
height anomalies for the period from 1993 to 2006. computer models of ocean circulation with actual global The Ocean Surface Topography Mission on the
An anomaly is the difference between the height of the observations and use this information to improve cli- Jason-2 satellite (OSTM) will follow Jason-1. OSTM
sea surface measured by the satellites and the average mate predictions. is scheduled for launch in June 2008 from Vanden-
sea-surface height. Sea-surface heights move up and berg Air Force Base. As were Topex/Poseidon and
down in a slow, regular pattern as the Sun warms the Topex/Poseidon gave us the first global perspective Jason-1, this new mission is a collaborative effort
water of the upper ocean and as the seasons progress. on El Niño, a three- to seven-year event in the Pacific between NASA and CNES. In addition, the mission
This “normal” annual signal has been removed from Ocean that has profound effects on world climate. (See includes two new partners, the European Organization
these maps to show clearly the large year-to-year http://sealevel.jpl.nasa.gov/science/el-nino-text.html.) for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites and
variations. The satellite also provided a global viewpoint for La the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administra-
Niña and other short-term climate events. It allowed re- tion. With new partners, improved instrumentation and
Sea-surface height reflects how much heat is stored searchers to observe the development of these events satellite tracking, OSTM moves closer toward the goal
in the upper ocean, an important factor in climate. In and follow their evolution. It also gave us evidence of of establishing operational satellite radar altimetry for
these images, “normal” sea-surface height appears as even longer-lasting phenomena, such as the Pacific oceanographic applications.
green. The blue and purple areas represent heights Decadal Oscillation, a fluctuation in the Pacific Ocean
that are between 8 and 24 centimeters (3 and 9 inches) that waxes and wanes over 20 to 30 years. (See http:// Societal Benefits
lower than normal and indicate cooler water. Red and sealevel.jpl.nasa.gov/science/pdo.html.)
white areas represent ocean heights that are between The data collected by Topex/Poseidon and Jason-1
8 and 24 centimeters (3 and 9 inches) higher than nor- Another of the mission’s major accomplishments was are used in a variety of applications that benefit society,
mal and indicate warmer water. mapping global tides for the first time. Tides are the including climate research, studies of ocean circulation,
most visible changes in the ocean on a daily basis and and marine mammal research, as well as operational
The Topex/Poseidon Mission play an important role in navigation. They are the major applications including hurricane prediction, navigation,
source of mixing in the ocean and have a major impact offshore operations, and fisheries. For examples see
Topex/Poseidon was a joint effort between NASA and on biological activity. the NASA JPL Ocean Surface Topography from Space
the French Space Agency, Centre National d’Etudes website (http://sealevel.jpl.nasa.gov) and the CLS
Spatiales (CNES). In 1979, NASA was developing the Planned as a five-year mission, Topex/Poseidon oper-
Aviso web site (http://www.aviso.oceanobs.com.)
Ocean Topography Experiment (Topex) mission, while ated successfully for more than 13 years. It provided
CNES was planning a similar mission called Poseidon. more than 98 percent of the science data it was de-
Education and Public Outreach
The agencies decided to pool their resources into a sin- signed to collect to an international team of more than
gle mission in 1983. The satellite was launched aboard 600 scientists representing 54 countries. In October The Ocean Surface Topography Education and Public
an Ariane II rocket from the European Space Agency’s 2005, the satellite’s pitch reaction wheel, which helps Outreach program supports ocean education through a
launch facility in French Guiana. The Jet Propulsion keep the spacecraft in its proper orbital orientation variety of products and activities. For more information
Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, manages stopped working, preventing any further science opera- see http://sealevel.jpl.nasa.gov/education.
tions. Ground controllers transmitted the final command

JPL 400-1311 07/07