CoAuthors

John Lillibridge (NOAA/NESDIS, United States); Yongsheng Zhang (NOAA, United States); Donald Richardson (SSAI, United States); Abraham Yuk (SSAI, United States)

The interagency Jason-2/Ocean Surface Topography Mission (OSTM) measures sea surface height, wind speed, and significant wave height to help track global sea level rise, ocean currents, and upper ocean heat content. Four partner agencies share OSTM mission responsibilities: the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), the Centre National d'Etudes Spatiales (CNES), and the European Organisation for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites (EUMETSAT). NOAA's roles include satellite command and control, operational data processing, operational data distribution, and archive of data and processing software. NOAA's Environmental Satellite Processing Center (ESPC) generates Jason-2/OSTM Operational Geophysical Data Record (OGDR) products. ESPC distributes OGDRs in near real time (within 3-5 hours of observation) in NetCDF format via their Data Distribution Server, and in BUFR format via the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) gateway. All Jason-2/OSTM mission data are archived by NOAA's National Oceanographic Data Center (NODC) using its Comprehensive Large Array-data Stewardship System. The OGDRs, CNES-derived interim Geophysical Data Records (IGDRs), and the final science-quality Geophysical Data Records (GDRs), all in NetCDF, are made available by traditional FTP as well as through modern interoperable data services (see http://www.nodc.noaa.gov/SatelliteData/Jason2/ for more information). Jason-2/OSTM geophysical data record products are used for ocean nowcasting and forecasting, assimilation into global and region models, hazard monitoring, and hurricane intensification forecasts. Additional product details and data access information are available at http://www.ospo.noaa.gov/Products/ocean/ssheight.html