Satellite Altimetry Missions Applications for Oceanographic, Coastal and Surface Water User Communities

An international partnership of space agencies has contributed a continuous time series of more than thirty years of global satellite altimetry data. Beginning with TOPEX/Poseidon, and proceeding through the Jason 1, 2, and 3 satellite missions, Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich, and the newest Surface Water and Ocean Topography (SWOT) mission, this U.S./NASA, France and European partnership has enabled important research discoveries and has significantly aided in the development of several valuable operational and commercial, user-driven applications. Substantial resources have been committed over the decades by national space agencies to advance both the science and applications outcomes of these missions. Over the next decade NASA and partners will launch several new satellites with technologies that will extend and expand this constellation even further, providing a rich resource to support science and operational applications. New discoveries and advances in societally focused applications will be enabled by the increased spatial and temporal resolution of satellite remote sensing data that will continue to support ocean, coastal, and hydrology operations and decision makers. Here we highlight existing and potential uses of data from these missions for such applications for societal benefit. Applications areas include marine operations, fisheries and marine biodiversity, coastal planning, and water resource management. We share information on the NASA programs in place to advance and engage with these applied user communities, and on opportunities to collaborate in our efforts.