BRUSSELS/FRANKFURT/PARIS (dpa-AFX) - Sentinel-6B satellite , a joint mission led by U.S. and European space agencies, will provide essential sea level and other ocean data after it launches in November.
Sea surface height data from the Sentinel-6B will help with the development of marine weather forecasts, alerting ships to possible dangers, the US space agency says.
Accurate, timely ocean forecasts are essential for most global trade travels by ship. These forecasts provide crucial information about storms, high winds, and rough water, and they depend on measurements provided by instruments in the ocean and by satellites including Sentinel-6B, a joint mission led by NASA and ESA.
The satellite will eventually take over from its twin, Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich, which launched in 2020. Both satellites have an altimeter instrument that measures sea levels, wind speeds, and wave heights, among other characteristics, which meteorologists feed into models that produce marine weather forecasts. Those forecasts provide information on the state of the ocean as well as the changing locations of large currents like the Gulf Stream. Dangerous conditions can result when waves interact with such currents, putting ships at risk.
'Building on NASA's long legacy of satellite altimetry data and its real-world impact on shipping operations, Sentinel-6B will soon take on the vital task of improving ocean and weather forecasts to help keep ships, their crews, and cargo safe', said Nadya Vinogradova Shiffer, lead program scientist at NASA Headquarters in Washington.
'The ocean is getting busier, but it's also getting more dangerous,' said Avichal Mehra, deputy director of the Ocean Prediction Center at the National Weather Service in College Park, Maryland.
One of the planet's major currents, the Gulf Stream is located off the southeastern coast of the United States, but its exact position varies. 'Ships will actually change course depending on where the Gulf Stream is and the direction of the waves,' said Mehra. 'There have been instances where, in calm conditions, waves interacting with the Gulf Stream have caused damage or the loss of cargo containers on ships.'
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