JPL
Careers
Education
Science & Technology
JPL Logo
JPL Logo
Earth .

Tall Oceans and Global Warming

Jun 17, 2008
00:00
A new satellite will measure ocean clues to global warming, and improve weather and climate forecasts.

Transcript:

Music open.

OPEN WITH OCEAN SOUNDS

Narrator: This summer, while you're relaxing, soaking up the rays at the beach, watching the ocean waves lap on the shore, a new satellite will be hard at work in its orbit high above Earth. Its assignment: to measure how high the oceans are, and how much they're rising - a rise linked to climate change.

Willis: Measuring sea level rise is really one of the most important things we do in terms of measuring global warming. The oceans absorb 85 or more percent of the heat from global warming. So if you want to know where does the heat from global warming go, it goes in the oceans.

MUSIC OPENS AND FADE

Narrator: I'm Jane Platt with JPL -- NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California. The new Earth-orbiting satellite is called the Ocean Surface Topography Mission/Jason 2. Jason 2 for short. Josh Willis of JPL is an oceanographer with Jason 2. Its altimeter instrument will measure the peaks and valleys of the ocean surface, and how sea levels change over time. In general, our oceans are getting taller.

Willis: Global warming is causing the oceans to rise at a rate of about 3 millimeters per year, and this is a direct result of increasing the temperature of the atmosphere. That causes glaciers and ice sheets to melt, raising the levels of the ocean. But also, the ocean itself absorbs heat. And when that happens, again the water expands, stands a little taller, and this causes sea level rise as well, so the altimeter on OSTM, or Jason 2, will see both of these effects at it circles the Earth.

Narrator: Jason 2 will map the sea surface highs and lows every 10 days, tracking changes and helping scientists keep tabs on climate, and even weather. For example.

Willis: High sea surface is often a mark of warmer water, and warmer waters are essentially the fuels for hurricanes and tropical storms. So if a hurricane is about to pass over a patch of high sea level, there's a good chance that it might speed up and become more powerful.

Narrator: Jason 2 is third in a series of ocean-watching satellites from NASA and the French Space Agency. Jason 2's new technologies will get a better view than ever before of the oceans right near the coasts. Important real estate, since half the world's population lives near a coastline.

Willis: So we care a lot about sea level near the coasts. It affects things like beach erosion and fisheries, and many other things.

Narrator: Various industries will use data gathered by Jason 2. For example, the oil industry wants to better track giant ocean eddies, which are like underwater storms in the Gulf of Mexico.

Willis: They have enormous currents associated with them, and if they run over your oil rig, then it can cause a lot of damage. So predicting where these things are going to go and keeping track of them is very important to the offshore oil industry.

Narrator: And the utility companies also have an eye on that ocean info.

Willis: Power plants that use sea water as part of their cooling processes care a lot about the temperature of the sea water. And these large-scale patterns really tell us about how the seawater temperature is going to evolve over the coming years and decades.

OCEAN SOUNDS.

Narrator: Whether you live near an ocean - or thousands of miles away from one -Jason 2 studies of the seas on planet Earth will have some effect on your life. For more info on Jason 2 and sea level, check out http://sealevel.jpl.nasa.gov . Or http://www.nasa.gov/ostm . Thanks for joining us for this podcast from NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory.

MUSIC FADES

Download mp3

Related Pages

News .

Warming Seas Are Accelerating Greenland’s Glacier Retreat

Image .

Glacier Undercutting in Action

Image .

Hulhumale, Maldives

Topic .

Earth

Image .

Kilauea Volcano, Hawaii

Infographic .

Inside Hurrricanes

Image .

Mt. Etna, Italy

News .

NASA, US and European Partner Satellite Returns First Sea Level Measurements

Image .

Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich First Light Waveform

Image .

Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich First Light Sea Level

About JPL
Who We Are
Executive Council
Directors of JPL
JPL History
Documentary Series
Virtual Tour
Annual Reports
Missions
All
Current
Past
Future
News
All
Earth
Mars
Solar System
Universe
Technology
Galleries
Images
Videos
Audio
Podcasts
Infographics
Engage
JPL and the Community
Lecture Series
Public Tours
Events
Team Competitions
JPL Speakers Bureau
Topics
Solar System
Mars
Earth
Climate Change
Stars and Galaxies
Exoplanets
Technology
JPL Life
For Media
Contacts and Information
Press Kits
More
Asteroid Watch
Robotics at JPL
Subscribe to Newsletter
Social Media
Get the Latest from JPL
Follow Us

JPL is a federally funded research and development center managed for NASA by Caltech.

More from JPL
Careers Education Science & Technology Acquisitions JPL Store
Careers
Education
Science & Technology
Acquisitions
JPL Store
Related NASA Sites
Basics of Spaceflight
Climate Kids
Earth / Global Climate Change
Exoplanet Exploration
Mars Exploration
Solar System Exploration
Space Place
NASA's Eyes Visualization Project
Voyager Interstellar Mission
NASA
Caltech
Privacy
Image Policy
FAQ
Feedback
Site Manager: Veronica McGregor
Site Editors: Tony Greicius, Randal Jackson, Naomi Hartono