William Atkins
Thursday, 31 July 2008 23:51
Science -
Space
Page 1 of 2
According to the 7.30.2008 NASA news release, “Ocean surface topography mission/Jason 2 begins mapping oceans,” the internationally sponsored Ocean Surface Topography Mission (OSTM) featuring the Jason 2 oceanography satellite is well on its way to completing its mission of monitoring and analyzing global climate change.
The mission is being conducted principally by the U.S. National Oceanic
and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the U.S. National Aeronautics
and Space Administration (NASA), the French Centre National d’Etudes
Spatiales (CNES), and the European Union European Meteorological
Satellite Organisation (EUMETSAT).
In fact, less than one month after being launched, Jason 2 has already
produced its first complete maps of global ocean surface topography,
surface wave height, and wind speed.
The maps are helping scientists here on Earth to analyze changes in
global sea level; the distribution of heat in the oceans; and the
circulation, speed, and direction of ocean currents; along with helping
to more accurately predict weather, climate, and ocean forecasts.
The OSTM/Jason 2 mission is a continuation of the mission first started
by NASA and CNES in 1992. At that time, the
TOPEX/Poseiden mission was
launched, which started its investigation of Earth’s oceans. The
mission was continued within interruption in 2001 when
Jason 1 was launched.
One very important statistic that has been collected during this sixteen-year mission is that the mean sea level of
Earth has been increasing at a rate of about 12 inches (30.5
centimeters) per year since 1993.
Jason 2 is positioned about 830 miles (1,336 kilometers) above the
surface of Earth. In fact, both Jason 2 and Jason 1 are orbiting the
Earth it about the same altitude/inclination above Earth, and only
about fifty-five seconds apart. This close-quarters position allows
Jason 2 to be calibrated based on the data onboard Jason 1.
OSTM/Jason 2 project scientist Lee-Jueng Gu (NASA Jet Propulsion
Laboratory) states,
“These initial observations from OSTM/Jason 2
compare very closely to those of Jason 1. To be able to collect such
high-quality science data within a month of launch breaks previous
records. It is also a direct reflection of how mature the field of
satellite altimetry has become and of the seamless cooperation of our
international team."
NASA news release “
Ocean Surface Topography Mission/Jason 2 Begins
Mapping Oceans” also shows some of the maps generated by Jason 2 (as
they compare to images made by Jason 1).
More information about the Jason 2 mission follows on page two.
