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\t\t\t\t\t\t16\/12\/2025
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Copernicus Sentinel-6B, launched last month, has reached its orbit and delivered its first set of data, which show variations in sea level in the North Atlantic Ocean. This data underlines how the mission will continue to strengthen the long-term reference record of sea levels, a key parameter of climate change.<\/p>\n
Following its launch on 17 November 2025, the first data from Sentinel-6B<\/a> was captured on 26 November by the satellite\u2019s Poseidon-4 altimeter. The image, shown below, is a combination of altimeter data from both the Sentinel-6 sea-level tracking satellites: Sentinel-6B and its twin, Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich, which was launched in 2020. The image shows the Gulf Stream current in the North Atlantic Ocean, off the eastern coasts of the US and Canada.<\/p>\n The Gulf Stream is a hugely important area of the North Atlantic Ocean, not only for the role it plays in global weather patterns and climate, but also because it\u2019s a busy shipping route as well as a key ecosystem for marine species and therefore an important fishing zone.<\/p>\n ESA\u2019s Project Manager for Sentinel-6, Pierrik Vuilleumier, acknowledged the teams\u2019 efforts, \u201cThis is the second launch for the Sentinel-6 mission and I am very pleased to see that industry and agency teams have managed again to guarantee the essential continuity of the mean sea-level record, adding five years to the 35 years already accumulated.\u201d<\/p>\n \tState-of-the-art altimetry<\/p>\n The image was created using data from the mission\u2019s Poseidon-4 dual-frequency (C- and Ku-band) radar altimeter, which uses an innovative mode that has improved performance and resolution compared to previous satellite altimeter designs. Radar altimeter instruments measure the time it takes for radar pulses to reach Earth\u2019s surface and bounce back to the satellite. Sentinel-6 also carries a microwave radiometer, which estimates the delay to the radar pulses caused by Earth\u2019s atmosphere. Both these instruments work together to enable very precise measurements of the sea-surface height as well as wave height and wind speed.<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t\tSea-level rise in the Gulf Stream, by Sentinel-6B<\/a><\/p>\n Sentinel-6 also provides data for operational ocean forecasting by providing near real-time data on extreme weather at sea. The mission provides data to support safer navigation at sea, better coastal protection and smarter water-resource management.<\/p>\n ESA\u2019s Director of Earth Observation Programmes, Simonetta Cheli, said, \u201cDeveloping missions that can track sea-level rise with such precision and long-term reliability is fully aligned with ESA\u2019s core values and strategic goals. The agency\u2019s Earth Observation programmes are focused on providing environments that nurture the innovative technology for such satellites. We also establish the crucial collaborations that enable these missions to become key sources of actionable data for the science community and for climate policy. I thank our European partners as well as NASA and NOAA, and I look forward to seeing this mission continue the legacy of reference data on ocean conditions.\u201d<\/p>\n ESA\u2019s Mission Scientist for the Sentinel-6 mission, Alejandro Egido, said, \u201cIt is very encouraging to see Sentinel-6B performing so well soon after launch. While the instruments will undergo a careful calibration phase over the coming months, the quality of the initial dataset is very promising. Once this phase is completed, the mission will be fully prepared to extend the sea-surface height measurement record through at least 2030.\u201d<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t\tMeasuring sea-level change<\/a><\/p>\n \tContinuing the legacy of sea-level data<\/p>\n