Sentinel-6A MF: High-Resolution Ocean Surface Topography

Global ocean data from the Sentinel-6A Michael Freilich satellite's Poseidon-4 SAR altimeter provides Level 2 high-resolution, non-time-critical measurements. The dataset contains 1 Hz Ku-band measurements for sea surface height, sea surface height anomalies, and significant wave height, along with altimetry corrections and wind speed from the AMR-C instrument. This reduced product excludes the standard 20 Hz observations and is analogous to the Jason-3 Geophysical Data Record product.

Use Cases

• Monitoring long-term sea-level rise trends based on Sea Surface Height Anomaly (SSHA) measurements.
• Analyzing ocean wave climate and storm impacts using Significant Wave Height (SWH) data.
• Calibrating and validating ocean circulation models with precise Sea Surface Height (SSH) observations.
• Studying atmospheric effects on altimetry signals using integrated water vapor and wind-speed data from the AMR-C.

Strengths

• Provides high-resolution (HR) altimetry data from the advanced Poseidon-4 SAR instrument.
• Includes a defined set of core oceanographic variables: SSH, SSHA, SWH, range, orbital altitude, time, water vapor, and wind speed.
• Dataset is maintained by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).

Limitations

• Has a 60-day latency (Non-Time Critical), making it unsuitable for real-time monitoring or forecasting.
• Metadata is incomplete; column names, row counts, and precise file sizes are not provided across any platform.
• The product is a reduced release that excludes the higher-frequency 20 Hz observations available in the standard product.

Provenance

Source

National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Collection Method

Satellite remote sensing via the Poseidon-4 SAR altimeter on the Sentinel-6A Michael Freilich spacecraft.

Freshness

2026-04-09 22:21:03.748061

Geography

Global ocean coverage.