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Sea Level Isn't Level why it matters

Our sea surface is not level...
... with highs similar to hills on land...
... and lows like valleys.
Where does this ocean "topography" come from?
When water begins to flow...
...Earth's spin exerts a force.
In the Northern Hemisphere...
...Coriolis pulls flow towards the right.
The Coriolis force is balanced...
...by pressure differences.
This relationship between flow, Coriolis, and pressure...
...creates hills and valleys on the ocean surface.
The "Coriolis" force works on very slow-moving water masses...
...so not in toilets ;)
In the Northern Hemisphere...
...water flows clockwise around hills...
...and counterclockwise around valleys.
Conversely, in the Southern Hemisphere...
...water flows in opposite directions around highs and lows.
Globally, these highs and lows only alter our ocean surface by about 10 feet (3 meters)...
... but they extend across huge basins, driving powerful currents.
Maps of ocean topography...
...tell us a lot about the ocean's motion.
However, currents are not the only factors...
...that affect sea surface height.
The ocean surface is also shaped by land masses.
Imagine an island that has been "sliced" through to see its outline.
Its gravity pulls water up and towards the island.
This effect is called the "geoid"...
...which is also shaped by masses deep below Earth's suface.
These types of effects are averaged over time and...
...removed to formulate a stable "Reference surface."
This is how we precisely calculate...
...changes in sea surface height...
...to keep a close eye on our dynamic ocean.

Jason-CS/Sentinel-6 includes two satellites scheduled to launch in 2020 and 2025, extending critical global data records beyond three decades.

How They Will Work
How They Will Help Us
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