LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Earth's climate is changing, and one of the clearest signs of that change is rising sea levels in the world's oceans. NASA, in collaboration with NOAA and their European space partners, just launched the first of two satellites that will track sea level height over the next decade.
Ivona Cetinic, an oceanographer for NASA, said the ocean takes in heat from the atmosphere, so as the atmosphere heats up, the ocean changes. That heat causes the water to stretch and spread and causes glaciers to melt, leading to the rise of sea levels.
"It might not look important, but you start getting coastal erosion and problems with infrastructure and an impact on our livelihood," Cetinic said.
She said those who don't live on the coast will still see the effects of rising sea levels through the change in weather.
Instruments aboard the Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich satellite will be able to measure sea levels within a few centimeters of 90% of the oceans around the globe.
A twin satellite named Sentinel-6B will join the effort when it launches in 2025. These satellites will also provide atmospheric data that will improve weather forecasts.
"Once you bring these two together, they are like the perfect suite of information that can feed in weather predictions," Cetinic said.
NASA expects to get data from the satellite as soon as it reaches orbit. The data collected with help scientists all across the globe help fight the effects of climate change.
Contact meteorologist Kaitlynn Fish at kfish@whas11.com and follow her on Twitter (@KaitlynnFish) and Facebook.
Make it easy to keep up-to-date with more stories like this. Download the WHAS11 News app now. For Apple or Android users.
Have a news tip? Email assign@whas11.com, visit our Facebook page or Twitter feed.
