Jason-3: Understanding our seas, from high above Earth
By Dr. Stephen Volz, head of NOAA’s Satellites and Information Service
Jason-3 has reached its final orbit where, 830 miles above Earth, it will collect vital environmental intelligence about the world’s oceans. Over the next three years, the 1,120-pound satellite is expected to yield precise measurements about sea-level heights, ocean heat, and other critical information.
Why does this matter? More than 90 percent of the heat being trapped in our planet goes into the sea, making the ocean perhaps the biggest player when it comes to climate change. Measuring ocean topography, or the hills and valleys of the ocean’s surface, indicates the speed and direction of ocean currents and tells scientists how much of the sun’s energy is stored at sea. Such up-to-date data, for example, helps NOAA’s forecasters better determine when and where hurricanes and severe weather may intensify before they hit shore. Longer lead times will help keep people and property out of harm’s way.
Combining ocean current and heat data is also a major factor in understanding global climate change. Earlier satellite missions have revealed that global sea-level rise already is occurring at a rate of 3 mm a year, resulting in a total change of 70 mm — or 2.8 inches — in just 23 years. Flying in low-Earth orbit, Jason-3 will add immense value to these efforts by tracking global sea-surface height in 95 percent of the world’s ice-free oceans every 10 days.
Given the accelerating threat of sea-level rise to coastal communities, Jason-3’s successful lift-off represents a significant advance in collecting the environmental intelligence essential to making America more resilient.
Jason-3’s highly accurate measurements will be used for many scientific, commercial and operational applications:
- Improved El Niño and La Niña forecasting
- Deep-ocean and wave modeling
- Surface wave forecasting for offshore operators
- Tide and current forecasting critical to commercial shipping and ship routing
- Coastal forecasting in response to oil spills, harmful algal blooms and other challenges
- Improved understanding of human impacts on our oceans
- Coastal modeling crucial for marine mammal and coral reef research
After a six-month phase to test its instruments in orbit, Jason-3 will begin full science operations by joining Jason-2, which was launched in 2008. The tandem mission will double global data coverage.
Jason-3 is a joint mission of NOAA, NASA, the French space agency, Centre national d’études spatiales (CNES), and the European Organisation for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites (EUMETSAT).
Dr. Stephen Volz directs NOAA’s Satellite and Information Service.