Ocean Surface Topography Mission / Jason 2
-
Ocean Surface Topography Mission / Jason 2
An artist's concept of the Ocean Surface Topography Mission/Jason 2 Earth satellite. Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech
› Larger view
-
El Niño Surges; Warm Kelvin Wave Headed for South America
The most recent sea-level height data from the NASA/European Ocean Surface Topography Mission/Jason-2 oceanography satellite show the continued eastward progression of a strong wave of warm water, known as a Kelvin wave, now approaching South America.
› Full image and caption
-
Waves That Feed El Niños
Pools of warm water known as Kelvin waves can be seen traveling eastward along the equator (black line) in this image from the NASA/French Space Agency Ocean Surface Topography Mission/Jason-2 satellite.
› Full image and caption
-
La Niña's Exit Leaves Climate Forecasts in Limbo
The latest image of Pacific Ocean sea surface heights from the NASA's OSTIM/Jason-2 oceanography satellite, on June 11, 2010, shows that Pacific has switched from warm (red) to cold (blue) during the last few months.
› Full image and caption
-
El Niño's Last Stand?
Recent sea-level height data from NASA's Jason-2 oceanography satellite show a weakening of trade winds in western and central equatorial Pacific during late-January through February has triggered yet another strong, eastward-moving Kelvin wave.
› Full image and caption
-
Adios El Niño, Hello La Niña?
This image from NASA's European Ocean Surface Topography Mission/Jason-2 shows that the moderate El Niño of the past year has officially bowed out, leaving his cool sibling, La Niña, poised to potentially take the equatorial stage.
› Full image and caption
Mission Summary
The Ocean Surface Topography Mission /Jason 2 is an Earth satellite designed to make observations of ocean topography for investigations into sea-level rise and the relationship between ocean circulation and climate change. The satellite also provides data on the forces behind such large-scale climate phenomena as El Niño and La Niña.
The mission is a follow-on to the French-American Jason 1 mission, which began collecting data on sea-surface levels in 1992.
Scientific Instrument(s)
- Altimeter
- Advanced Microwave Radiometer (AMR)
- Doppler Orbitography Radiopositioning Integrated by Satellite (DORIS)
- Laser Retroflector Array (LRA)
