Organization:
Research Title: TOPEX/POSEIDON Ocean Topography Experiment
Funding Level (millions of dollars):
| FY94 | 33.7 |
|---|---|
| FY95 | 31.2 |
| FY96 | 17.3 |
Committee on Environment and Natural Resources (CENR) Component:
(a) Subcommittee: Global Change Subcommittee (100%)
(b) Environmental Issue: Natural variability (75%)
Global change: exploratory research with broad focus not primarily in another
category
(25%)
(c) Research Activity: System structure and function: Observation (100%);
Organizational Component:
Data and Information Systems Division
Office of Mission to Planet Earth
NASA Headquarters
Washington, DC 20546
Point of Contact:
George Komar
Phone: 202-358-0246
E-Mail: gkomar@hq.nasa.gov
Research Goals:
The oceans are the thermal memory of the climate system. Our climate would be
dramatically cooler if heat were not transported by the ocean from the tropics to
polar
latitudes. To understand our climate system, information is needed on the large-
scale
ocean
circulation and how it changes with time. TOPEX/POSEIDON, which measures
changes
in sea level height, a direct measure of the ocean circulation, is designed to provide
data
critical to improving our understanding of the role that the ocean play in climate
change. In
addition, global sea level rise is an anticipate response to greenhouse gas induced
global
warming. With careful analysis of the TOPEX/POSEIDON data, it is hoped that it
will
be
possible to precisely measure the anticipated several millimeter per year change
in sea level.
Research Description:
Radar altimeters onboard TOPEX/POSEIDON are measuring sea-surface height with
an
unprecedented accuracy of 3 cm from which the large-scale ocean circulation can be
calculated. Researchers will use these data to develop models for extended weather
and
climate prediction, global ocean tides, local and global sea level sea surface height
variations, and the study of the interaction between the Earth's atmosphere. A
diverse
set
of global and regional studies are currently underway by the NASA/CNES science
team
to
analyze the first two years of data from the mission. One striking example is the
observation of Kelvin waves in the TOPEX/POSEIDON data, which are associated
with
the onset of the El Niño phenomena.
Program Interfaces:
The Physical Oceanography Program of the Physical Climate Branch is an integral
part
of
Mission to Planet Earth program which is addressing climate change issues through
a
coordinated effort with other federal agencies in the US. Global Change Research
Program
(USGCRP) and internationally through bilateral and multilateral agreements with
the
space
agencies of other countries and agencies such as the U.N. World meteorological
Organization, World Climate Research program (WCRP). Specifically, this mission
is part
of the NASA contribution to the World Ocean Circulation Experiment (WOCE) and
the
Tropical Ocean Global Atmosphere (TOGA) programs.
Program Milestones:
Selection of science team 1987. Launched August 1992. Extended mission begins
August
1995.
Policy Payoffs:
These data can be used to observe interannual variability such as El Niño.
Improved
predictions resulting from incorporating these data into predictive models could
potentially
save billions of dollars in property and resource loss. In addition, it is hoped
that in the
future these data can be used for observing changes in global sea level, which could
have a
significant impact on coastal planning and development.