Multi-Mission Satellite Altimeter Sea Surface Height Anomalies

Sea surface height anomalies from five satellite altimeter missions are cross-calibrated onto a common reference orbit to form a single homogeneous climate data record. The dataset covers a continuous period from September 1992 to the present, with updates approximately quarterly. It is produced by NASA Sea Surface Height project investigators at Goddard Space Flight Center and Jet Propulsion Laboratory.

Use Cases

• Analyzing long-term sea level rise trends using the continuous 30+ year time series of sea surface height anomalies.
• Studying ocean eddy dynamics and mesoscale variability from along-track SSH data.
• Calibrating and validating ocean models and reanalysis products with consistent, cross-mission satellite observations.
• Investigating interannual climate signals like El Niño by examining basin-wide SSH anomaly patterns.

Strengths

• Provides a continuous, homogeneous climate data record spanning over 30 years from September 1992 to present.
• Integrates and cross-calibrates data from five major satellite altimeter missions (TOPEX/Poseidon, Jason-1, OSTM/Jason-2, Jason-3, Sentinel-6A).
• Data is updated approximately once per quarter, extending the record with new observations.
• Derived under NASA's MEaSUREs program with documented refinements, including version 5.2 updates to orbits, tide models, and sensor calibrations.

Limitations

• Specific row count, file size, and detailed column schema are not provided on any platform.
• License is listed as 'other-license-specified' on some platforms but 'None' on others, creating a conflict regarding usage terms.

Provenance

Source

NASA Sea Surface Height (NASA-SSH) project investigators at Goddard Space Flight Center and Jet Propulsion Laboratory.

Collection Method

Geophysical Data Records from each altimetry mission were interpolated to a common reference orbit with applied biases and cross-calibrations.

Time Range

September 1992 to present

Freshness

2026-03-13 01:17:15.379884

Geography

Global ocean coverage from satellite along-track measurements.