The Sentinel-6/Jason-CS mission builds on four previous satellites that have circled the globe along the same path since 1992, carefully documenting the millimeter-by-millimeter changes in sea level fueled by greenhouse gas emissions. Advertisement“Without the satellites we’d be blind,” said Nerem, who has tracked sea level rise and its causes for decades. The question the new Sentinel-6/Jason-CS mission will seek to answer is this: How much faster will the seas rise in the coming decade? The spacecraft will fly in the same orbit as its predecessors, to ensure an unbroken line of sea level readings. That consistency is key for predicting future sea level rise — and preparing for its consequences, Willis said.

Source: Los Angeles Times December 14, 2019 15:00 UTC