A treasure trove of information
Satellite altimetry is used to acquire sea-surface height measurements that yield information about:
Ocean properties:
Ocean properties:
Dynamic topography. Credits: CNES
The satellite gathers data on any point of the ocean surface. But measurements also contain a treasure trove of information about the entire water column, from the surface to the sea floor, including current speed and direction, wave heights and wind speed.
Oceanographers use these data to chart currents, study ocean seasons, improve knowledge of tides, monitor mean sea level and detect climate anomalies such as .
The MERCATOR system, in service since 2001, produces weekly 3-D analyses and ocean state forecasts out to 2 weeks, providing maps of currents, dynamic topography, salinity and temperature.
The ocean floor:
The geoid. Crédits : CNES
Altimetry therefore allows us, indirectly, to obtain a picture of the geoid and is also useful in geophysics and geodesy for studying the physical properties of the solid Earth.
