Havsobservationssatelliter

Havsobservationssatelliter, or ocean observation satellites, are spaceborne platforms equipped with instruments to monitor the world’s seas and oceans. They collect data on sea surface height, temperature, salinity, ocean color, wind, waves, and sea ice, contributing to weather forecasts, climate research, navigation, and marine ecology. By providing global, repeated measurements, these satellites help track long-term changes such as sea level rise and shifts in ocean circulation.

The core technologies include radar altimeters, radiometers, and imaging sensors. Radar altimeters measure precise sea surface height by timing radar pulses that bounce off the ocean, while microwave and infrared radiometers estimate sea surface temperature and roughness. Ocean color sensors detect chlorophyll and other constituents to assess biological productivity, and synthetic aperture radar satellites observe surface winds, waves, and ice conditions, even under cloud cover. Some missions combine multiple instruments to deliver integrated datasets.

Notable missions and programs have shaped the field. TOPEX/Poseidon (late 1990s–2000s) established high-precision sea level monitoring, followed by the Jason series, which continued continuous altimetry across decades. European and international missions such as Envisat, ERS, Sentinel-3, and the ongoing Jason-3 and Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich have expanded data coverage. The SWOT mission, a collaboration between NASA and CNES launched in the early 2020s, aims to map sea surface height with higher spatial resolution and to study ocean circulation in greater detail.

Data from havsobservationssatelliter are openly shared through space agency portals and international data centers. They support climate assessments, maritime operations, disaster response, and research into ocean processes, making them essential tools in understanding and managing the marine environment.