Introduced in 2020, the Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich satellite is created to keep an eye on sea surface heights, assisting in environment studies, especially the El Niño phenomenon. Higher-than-normal sea levels and warmer-than-average ocean temperatures along the equatorial Pacific identify El Niños. The maps above program sea levels in the Pacific Ocean throughout early October of 1997, 2015, and 2023, in the run up to El Niño occasions. The maps above program sea levels in the Pacific Ocean during early October of 1997, 2015, and 2023, with higher-than-average ocean heights in red and white, and lower-than-average heights in blue and purple. By October 1997 and 2015, large locations of the central and eastern Pacific had sea levels more than 7 inches (18 centimeters) higher than normal.
Water expands as it warms, so sea levels tend to be greater in places with warmer water. Higher-than-normal sea levels and warmer-than-average ocean temperature levels along the equatorial Pacific characterize El Niños.
The maps above show sea levels in the Pacific Ocean during early October of 1997, 2015, and 2023, in the run up to El Niño events. Higher-than-average ocean heights appear red and white, and lower-than-average heights are in blue and purple. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech
A Historical Look at El Niño Events
There have been two severe El Niño events in the previous 30 years: the first from 1997 to 1998 and the 2nd from 2015 to 2016. Both caused shifts in international air and ocean temperatures, atmospheric wind and rainfall patterns, and sea level. The maps above show water level in the Pacific Ocean throughout early October of 1997, 2015, and 2023, with higher-than-average ocean heights in red and white, and lower-than-average heights in blue and purple. Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich caught the 2023 information, the TOPEX/Poseidon satellite collected data for the 1997 image, and Jason-2 collected data for the 2015 map.
By October 1997 and 2015, big areas of the main and eastern Pacific had sea levels more than 7 inches (18 centimeters) greater than normal. This year, water level have to do with 2 or 3 inches (5 to 8 centimeters) higher than average and over a smaller sized location compared to the 1997 and 2015 events. Both of the past El Niños reached peak strength in late November or early December, so this years occasion might still heighten.
” Every El Niño is a little bit various,” stated Josh Willis, Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich project researcher at NASAs Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in Southern California. “This one appears modest compared to the huge occasions, however it might still offer us a damp winter season here in the Southwest U.S. if conditions are right.”
Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich Mission Overview
Launched in November 2020, Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich is named after former NASA Earth Science Division Director Michael Freilich. The satellite is one of 2 that compose the Copernicus Sentinel-6/ Jason-CS (Continuity of Service) objective.
Sentinel-6/ Jason-CS was jointly developed by ESA (European Space Agency), the European Organisation for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites (EUMETSAT), NASA, and the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), with funding assistance from the European Commission and technical support on efficiency from the French space agency CNES (Centre National dÉtudes Spatiales).
Released in 2020, the Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich satellite is designed to keep track of sea surface heights, aiding in environment research studies, especially the El Niño phenomenon. By tracking modifications in water level, it provides important information that assists scientists forecast global effects, from rainfall patterns to possible dry spells. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech
Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich keeps an eye on Pacific Ocean sea surface heights to assess El Niño effects. While 2023s event seems less extreme than 1997 and 2015, it might still grow more powerful.
Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich is the current satellite adding to a 30-year sea-level record that researchers are using to compare this years El Niño with those of the past.
Not all El Niño events are produced equivalent. Their impacts differ commonly, and satellites like the U.S.-European Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich assist expect those effect on an international scale by tracking changes in sea surface area height in the Pacific Ocean.