ESA CryoSat breaks the ice with ocean currents

Click on the image to visit ESA Portal and view the animation.

Animation of the intensity of ocean surface currents as predicted by MyOcean’s global ocean model (1/12°) after assimilation of altimetry data. 

In addition to major currents such as the Gulf Stream, the turbulence driving the ocean circulation is visible. 

The blue-to-white colour scale represents surface currents in metres per second.

Credits: MyOcean/Mercator-Ocean

Ocean measurements from ESA’s CryoSat mission are being exploited by the French space agency CNES to provide global ocean observation products in near-real time. Understanding sea-surface currents is important for marine industries and protecting ocean environments.

As it orbits from pole to pole, CryoSat’s main objective is to measure the thickness of polar sea ice and monitor changes in the ice sheets that blanket Greenland and Antarctica. But the satellite also features an innovative radar altimeter that not only detects tiny variations in the height of the ice, but can also measure sea level and the height of the waves.

Starting today , CryoSat ocean measurements are being processed by CNES and distributed to the oceanography community. These products will be assimilated using models from the MyOcean project in near-real time to enhance sea surface products and to improve the quality of the model forecasts.