US Pacific Islands Oceans
Utilizing the NASA and NOAA Joint Ocean Surface Topography Mission and Modeled Wave Data to Assess Patterns and Trends in Sea-surface Height in the US Affiliated Pacific Islands
The project team partnered with the Regional Climate Services Director (RCSD) for the Pacific Region under NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI) to analyze near-real time (i.e., weekly) spatial and temporal patterns and trends in sea-surface height (SSH) around the US Affiliated Pacific Islands (USAPI). Ocean Surface Topography Mission data and current tidal data from in situ measurements were used in conjunction with in situ and satellite data from buoys, tide gauges, NASA's Sea Surface Height (SSH) climate record derived from the TOPEX/Poseidon mission and Ocean Surface Topography Mission data from Jason-2 and Jason-3 satellites, and a blend of satellites for NOAA's CoastWatch and OceanWatch. The team produced a significant wave height climatology, a wave direction climatology, a 1 week to 3 week outlook, and a categorical inundation risk metric to assess island inundation risk. End users will use the risk metric tool set climatologies and distribute this information to coastal hazard and climate adaptation decision makers in the USAPI.
Project Video:
Waves of Change: Coexisting with Oceanic Oscillations in the Marshall Islands
- Location
- NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information
- Term
- Summer 2017
- Partner(s)
- NOAA Regional Climate Services, Pacific Region
University of Hawaii, Sea Level Center
NOAA, Center for Satellite Applications and Research (STAR), Satellite Oceanography & Climatology Division - NASA Earth Observations
- OSTM/Jason-2, Poseidon 3/ AMR
Jason-3, Poseidon 3B
Sentinel-3, SRAL
CyroSat-2, SIRAL
SARAL, ALTIKA
Topex/Poseidon, Poseidon/ TMR
Jason-1, Poseidon 2/ JMR - Team
- India Young (Project Lead)
Alec Courtright
Katie Walker
Saraneh Fitzgerald - Advisor(s)
- Michael Kruk (Earth Resources Technology, Inc., NOAA NCEI)