142 



NA.S A't O^n ft«nr«^ <!#««iiif Ptmpun 



TlK iSyninics of the ocsu are importnt in the ««oIatii» (/ the Etnfa'a diinaie sad key to provi^^ 

 iflfbnnatim 10 inu of lB»tt& iiBsith ind weltee ojch u waather, riiippinf . fii^^ 

 d]acharss,andiMWv«lHM. Haw«ver. (kta and Inibniiation coOsctioB tan the oceant U patticulviy 

 difCcok d» to the vaataesi of tbe (xeau u wdl at the gmenl iaaoceaiMity of mny pan of the ocean. 

 NASA, tfanugh tha oiUqiM vantafa point of «»ce. naa atalUtBa provide daa OD « gjofad Kale that 

 wonid be inpoailbla to otain odunviaek 



ta 1983, NASA wu ciuUeoeed to develop an oceanognphy aom spKepragom in ibepoblicaiioa: 



fV*.twv>ni|*> fWvn Sfyj; A B«t«B«ch Stuttirv fpr rt.> ^fT^ "?F^-"?91 ^^'^'^ NASA . tOgettlBr with 



Mtiood aid IniBiBatknil pMiMn, is in the Siud sage Of compteiinf 1 n of dsdica^ 

 danooBinieouribility to obaerw the global ocean. NASA has been very Bicc«u&l in achieving diii 

 |oaL lnaddiiiaa,NASAba>«iaopliy«laiceyto]eia4Bvebi|)lnsal«QdihnuaiKiGd)eri9Me-baa«d 

 ooeaoogiaphic dia leta thioiigh pstMBihlpB with odier i|eociea aid odMr oouaoiaa. 



NASA'< ocean ainiODi are in eaaendai part of NASA's Mittioo To Planet Earth (MlTS), a yacfrbaiwd 

 ^fital obaervatioai lyiam aqipaniiit ilw VS. Ckbti. Chaagt lUaureh IVogrun (USOCRF). the 

 coordinaadUJ. ^ueragency pragnn deriga ed to pravtdB the eieotific basia for ondenandiBg giobal 

 Changs, ins ceaosquce of NASA'i MTPS progran u ih« *S«rth Obaerving Sycem" (^DS) which it a 

 leriea of oMiat, to be laioched in 1998, developed iiar long-term glchd ohaer^ioos of the la^ 

 bkapheie, loiid EacA, atmoaphoia, aad oceani. 



NASA's oc«en nuadoo* aod acdvidet addreas a ceasal goal of uiing spacfr-baaed leiaotely leoaed dia to 

 aiablish the ^otal ocean'i phyiicj^ sad bidogiGal natural vsiability on aeaxmai to decadal to cwiamlai 

 tbae leaks, to cmsnitor ih£ ceaan environnea for changea ind titndi. asd to provkto dttt and mfotmatkn 

 on a tlmaly bni to adendatt, ded^-maken, aid the nany other uaert of our dan. 



The primary miiaiOQS designed by NASA and ia pansen to obaerve the oemni are comprised at aov«nl 

 difSmmkifldi of aeoaori which rneasin an importaitfiet of ocean scwKavaiiablea. Theeeare 

 TOPEX/POSEIDON, NSCAT, SeaWlFS. MODIS (oo BOS) and a unique calibndce/vtlldatioa 

 BXpednKnt called Sn^OS which will cdkc! aid fiwrge the diverie daa fiore seven overlq^^ 

 llttcnational millions to create I coRunoo dan nraun. lDaddldon,aauinb«rofothKmiatliQruaie&lrBady 

 providlnf otical dia and infbnnatioo on oceat-itdued proceaes tach u MB-lce pi^^ 

 fiSMR. SMMR, SSMl, ERS and lUdarMt). k» sheet maia balance and fw-level change (ALT. OLAS. 

 SAR« etc.), and other ocean, ice, etnosphereexchangsa. Tbesespace-baaedobasivaiiQUwilluliinueiybe 

 ooneiiad and combined wUh compkoienory g^aadAtaaed and iiusim data and infismadoe ooHaaed by 

 odier agenciea asd councies to creaa the moa cantpieK sdemific picture poaibie uiider the USGGiP and 

 other loiKnMiiaaai |Iobei checge racactcb ^ognnu. 



TOPBX^POSEIDCN, oon of NASA's most nicceuftil &nh Kieace misilcns, is die fintt space mission 

 apodftaJlydeaignedtiKicondbaed for studying gacirealadon of the worid's oceans, 'nieauaicnlsa 

 jeim aCta b«wMa NASA and dtt Ptexh «ac8 cgeary (CNSS) 10 obacrve i^obal ocean dreulition for 3 

 ycvsufiagan Eaith-crbiiing laaUia. A sat>of-<he<4rt reda litimeffy system u being used to measure 

 tha pradae height at tea level fixsm which infotmatian on the oeasi dimlkioa is otoJned. The aaOia. 

 lauicbed on Attgnit 19, 1992, has been iiakisgobKrvatkxa of the gk^eloczwuviihuiiprecedcniQd 

 aaeuracy cnce !ue Stfiraabet 19^ The nuinideces goal of da ouasion is tc Improve she knowledge of 

 the gloiai ocean circua^on to an exieu tha will alSicnoEely lesii ts iinprov«d undsntaadins of tb« oeeeos' 

 fole in global dinaa change. Oiher ipplicstkvu inshide gkibal aaa-kvei rise, oceae ddes. geodeay aid 

 gecdynamics, ocean wave height, and wina ^aed. 



