Satellite Oceanography Laboratory
About Us
Faculty, staff, and students in the Satellite Oceanography Laboratory use satellite observations to better understand low-frequency fluctuations in sea level related to climate change. This includes the study of all dynamical processes that cause sea level change, including ocean circulation, ocean heat storage, ocean mass redistribution, influx of fresh water from the continents and ice sheets, as well as natural climate variations such as El Nino/La Nina. The primary satellite data used are from radar altimeters (TOPEX/Poseidon, Jason-1, Ocean Surface Topography Mission), satellite gravimetry (Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment, GRACE), sea surface temperature (AVHRR), sea surface salinity (Aquarius), and ocean winds (SeaWinds).
In addition to conducting basic science research, we also produce value-added products that can be easily used by other scientists. Examples are time-series of global mean sea level change from satellite altimetry, maps of land water storage and ocean bottom pressure changes from GRACE, and dynamic ocean topography from altimetry and GRACE. These data are produced at the Satellite Oceanography Laboratory, or we contribute to their production. For more information about accessing these data, please follow the Data Products link.
What’s New
Two recent papers shed new insight into ocean bottom pressure variations in the North Pacific and low-frequency mass transport between the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. More information.
