Satellite will study the ocean from space – The Nation Costa Rica

The Oceonográfico Jason-3 satellite was successfully launched yesterday from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California.

Being 12:42 p. m. (Costa Rica time) and in the middle of a dense fog, a rocket Falcon 9, SpaceX company, took off with the satellite on board

The Jason-3 mission. – initially scheduled to last three years is a joint project between NASA, the National Centre for Space Studies (CNES) of France, the European Organisation for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites (EUMETSAT) and the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Agency (NOAA).

Once in orbit, the satellite’s mission is to monitor and collect information about the Earth’s oceans.

“Jason-3 take the pulse of our changing planet by collecting ‘ambient intelligence’ of the world’s oceans, “said Stephen Volz, assistant administrator for Satellite and Information Service of NOAA.

On example, make measurements on the rise in sea level, a key indicator for understanding global climate change caused by humans.

Jason-3 also accurately measured acceleration that this increase is

.

Since the launch of the first oceanographic mission TOPEX / Poseidon in 1992, researchers have seen an increase in global sea level of 70 mm; ie about 3 millimeters a year.

The satellite will also study the topography of the ocean surface to meet the speed and direction of ocean currents. This information gives scientists clues about how much solar energy is stored in the ocean waters.

Combining measurements of ocean currents and heat retention, experts get an overview clearer about global climate change.

The mission will also provide data to achieve more accurate predictions about weather, climate, the intensity of natural disasters like hurricanes and tropical cyclones, and phenomena as El Nino and La Nina.

The newly launched satellite also collect information that can be useful for commercial shipping operations, such as wave heights and forecasts of tides and currents.