CoAuthors

R. Steven Nerem (University of Colorado, USA)

The 23-year global mean sea level (GMSL) climate record made possible by the TOPEX and Jason-series of altimeter missions is an important indicator of climate change. It is being increasingly relied upon for determining evidence of changing rates in the climate system. Therefore, understanding the variability within the GMSL time series is important. Decomposing the record into a long-term and seasonal components leaves a signal with variability on different time scales, from seemingly random short fluctuations to interannual and possible decadal periods. In this work, we summarize the addition of the Jason-3 altimeter into our global mean sea level processing at the University of Colorado. We also compare Jason-3 and Jason-2 measurements during the cal/val mission phase and their effects on the estimated GMSL time series.