Sea-surface height from Sentinel-3C

Just two weeks after it was launched, the Copernicus Sentinel-3C satellite returned its first images and measurements from two of its key instruments – a major milestone that confirms the satellite is working well and on the road to monitoring the health of Earth’s oceans, land, cryosphere and atmosphere.

The map shows measurements of sea-surface height across the Atlantic Ocean and Mediterranean Sea from Sentinel-3C’s synthetic aperture radar altimeter, compared to the Copernicus Marine Service sea-level anomaly. These new data demonstrate that the altimeter is performing well and comparable to current measurements. Once commissioned, the altimeter will contribute to monitoring changes in sea-surface height around the world, complementing long-term records from missions such as Copernicus Sentinel-6 and Jason.

High-precision satellite altimetry has enabled scientists to establish the rate of global sea-level rise, which has averaged 3.64 mm per year since 1999, with the rate of rise accelerating.

Read full story: Sentinel-3C returns its first views of Earth