Jet Propulsion Laboratory California Institute of Technology

slide 4 - On the Edge: NASA's Last S-MODE Mission Studies the Ocean's Surface

slide 5 - NASA Uses 30-Year Satellite Record to Track and Project Rising Seas

NASA Analysis Sees Spike in 2023 Global Sea Level Due to El Niño

A long-term sea level dataset shows ocean surface heights continuing to rise at faster and faster rates over decades of observations. Read More ›

slide 2 - International Ocean Satellite Monitors How El Niño Is Shaping Up

slide 3 - International Sea Level Satellite Spots Early Signs of El Niño

Latest El Niño/La Niña Watch Data

Stereographic image depicting el nino data

The latest image from NASA's Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich satellite is updated approximately every two weeks.

Explore the El Niño 2023 Animation (updated January 23, 2024)

More to Explore

Global Mean Sea Level Time Series

Data collected from a series of satellite altimeters have measured a rise in global mean sea level (GMSL) of ∼3 ± 0.4 mm/year, resulting in more than 7 cm of total sea-level rise over the last 25 years.
Along-Track Near Real-Time Data

Sea Surface Height Anomaly: Sentinel-6MF and SWOT Measurements from 18-Mar-2025 to 28-Mar-2025
OST Science Team

Updates on the latest research being completed by the team of international and interdisciplinary scientists.

Applications: Bringing Satellite Data Down to Earth

Since 1993 ocean altimetry data has provided researchers and operational users like NOAA’s extreme weather units with valuable data

Climate

Operational

Coastal

Climate

Operational

Coastal

News & Features

Launched on a Falcon 9 rocket Nov. 21, the U.S.-European satellite will measure the world's ocean with unprecedented accuracy.

Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich Returns First Sea Level Measurements

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With NASA's Eyes on the Earth web-based app, you can tag along with the U.S.-European satellite as it orbits the globe, gathering critical measurements of our changing planet.

Follow Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich in Real Time As It Orbits Earth

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To get the best measurements of Earth's atmosphere, you sometimes have to leave it. This November, the Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich spacecraft will do just that.

Sea Level Mission Will Also Act as a Precision Thermometer in Space

Why Study the Ocean

Only from space can we observe the height of our vast ocean on a global scale and monitor critical changes in ocean currents and heat storage. Continuous data from satellites like TOPEX/Poseidon, Jason-1, OSTM/Jason-2, and Jason-3 help us understand and foresee the effects of the changing oceans on our climate and on catastrophic climate events such as El Niño and La Niña.

Partners

In an environment of constrained resources, U.S. and international partnerships are necessary to gain as much understanding of our planet as possible. Not only do they do they reduce costs for NASA, they also engage a larger group of scientists with a wider variety of specialties and interests.