Jason-2 and Jason-3 Altimetry Missions

1
Jason-2 and Jason-3Altimetry Missions

• Presented by
• John Lillibridge

2
Requirements, Science, and Benefits

• Requirements/Objectives
• Mission support - Satellite Sub goal
• Increase the quantity, quality, and accuracy of
  satellite data that are processed and distributed
  within targeted time
• Research, develop, and operate satellites to
  collect, calibrate, and distribute the data
  necessary to monitor land, sea, atmosphere, and
  space
• Climate
• Describe and understand the state of the climate
  system through integrated observations,
  monitoring, and data management
• Understand and predict climate variability and
  change from weeks to decades to a century
• Weather Water
• Increase development, application, and transition
  of advanced science and technology to operations
  and services
• Increase lead-time and accuracy for weather and
  water warnings and forecasts
• Science
• How can we extend the climate data record for
  global sea level rise while improving estimates
  through multi-mission altimetry?
• How can we increase the skill and timeliness of
  altimetric upper-ocean heat content for hurricane
  intensity forecasts?
• How can we integrate all available altimetric
  wind and wave measurements into operational
  high-seas forecasting system?

3
Challenges and Path Forward

• Science Challenges
• Altimetric climate date record requires careful
  analysis of ALL corrections
• Orbit errors in real-time products impacts use
  for hurricane forecasting
• Altimetry missions provide insufficient coverage
  for high-seas forecasts
• Next Steps
• Evaluate altimetry data from new SARAL/Altika and
  Cryosat-2 missions (2010 launches)
• Continue to refine multi-mission sea level rise
  time series
• Transition Path
• Continue planning, development, and integration
  of Jason-3 into NOAA operations
• Long-range planning for Jason-CS, Sentinel-3,
  GFO-2, SWOT missions

4
The AltimetricMeasurement System

• Sea Surface Height
• Global Sea Level Rise
• Upper Ocean Heat Content
• Hurricane Intensification
• Upper Ocean Currents
• El Niño Seasonal Forecast
• Significant Wave Height
• Surface Wind Speed
• High Seas monitoring
• Ship routing / hazards

5
NOAA's Role in Jason-2/Jason-3
STAR Internal Roles Develop mission requirements
with OSD Provide expertise for near real-time
product generation with OSPO Monitor high-level
data quality via automated QA system Act as
liaison to NODC/CLASS for archive access for
all mission data
Systems Development
Satellite Operations
Archive Access
Near Real-Time Data Production Distribution
STAR Satellite Oceanography Climatology Division
STAR External Roles Co-lead Ocean Surface
Topography Science Team - Project
Scientist Participate in 4-partner mission
reviews (pre-launch annually thereafter) Provide
external funding to operational users
Ocean Surface Topography Science Team
NASA/JPL
EUMETSAT
CNES
6
Operational High-Seas Monitoring
7
Hurricane Intensity Forecasting - Upper Ocean
Heat Content

• Ocean Heat Content estimates amount of heat
  available over a column of warm water
• The greater the depth the more available heat
  that can be potentially converted to energy

• Sea Surface Temperatures only provide a view of
  the very top layer of the ocean.

8
Global Sea Level RiseClimate Data Record

• Primary Application of
• Jason Altimetry
• Continuity of Climate Data Record TOPEX ?
  Jason-1 ? Jason-2 ? Jason-3 ? Jason-CS
• Critical to have mission overlap for precise
  calibration/validation
• Several mm/yr regional variations around global
  mean sea level rise of 3.0 mm/yr

9
Multi-Mission AltimetricClimate Data Record

• Radar Altimeter Database System
• RADS developed at TU Delft, Netherlands
• Supported by STAR/LSA for past 10 years
• Combines observations of eight missions
  1985-present
• Standard alternative corrections and models are
  user selectable
• Cross-calibrated measurements corrections
• Adopted by altimetrists oceanographers
  worldwide MIT, JPL, Southampton
• Basis of NOAA sea level climate data record

Remko Scharroo Altimetrics LLC
10
Jason Argo GRACEClosing the Sea Level Rise
Budget

• Total Sea Level (Jason)
• Argo GRACE

Steric Sea Level (Argo) Jason - GRACE
Ocean Mass (GRACE) Jason - Argo
Eric Leuliette STAR/SOCD
11
Climate Monitoring RequiresForesight Commitment
Altimetry 15 Years

• CO2 50 Years

12
Research to OperationsContinuity of the
Topex/Jason Series
13
Challenges and Path Forward

• Science Challenges
• Altimetric climate date record requires careful
  analysis of ALL corrections
• Orbit errors in real-time products impacts use
  for hurricane forecasting
• Altimetry missions provide insufficient coverage
  for high-seas forecasts
• Next Steps
• Evaluate altimetry data from new SARAL/Altika and
  Cryosat-2 missions (2010 launches)
• Continue to refine multi-mission sea level rise
  time series
• Transition Path
• Continue planning, development, and integration
  of Jason-3 into NOAA operations
• Long-range planning for Jason-CS, Sentinel-3,
  GFO-2, SWOT missions