>> HELLO AND WELCOME TO
ANOTHER EPISODE OF
"NASA SCIENCE LIVE",
I'M YOUR HOST LAUREN WARD.
SEA LEVELS ACROSS THE GLOBE
ARE RISING AS A RESULT OF
A CHANGING CLIMATE,
AND THE RATES AT WHICH
THEY ARE RISING
ARE ACCELERATING.
FOR NEARLY THIRTY YEARS,
NASA HAS CONTINUALLY
BEEN TRACKING
THE GLOBAL SURFACE HEIGHT
OF THE OCEAN FROM SPACE
IN ORDER TO UNDERSTAND
SEA LEVEL RISE.
RISING SEA LEVEL
AFFECTS EVERYONE
ACROSS THE GLOBE
FROM COASTAL COMMUNITIES,
TO THOSE LIVING IN
LANDLOCKED REGIONS.
TODAY WE WILL DIVE DEEP
AND DISCUSS HOW NASA
AND OTHERS ACROSS THE GLOBE
ARE MONITORING OUR OCEANS,
AND WHAT COMMUNITIES ARE DOING
TO ALLEVIATE THE IMPACTS
OF SEA LEVEL RISE.
BUT FIRST, WHAT EXACTLY IS
SEA LEVEL RISE?
>> AROUND THE GLOBE,
SEA LEVELS ARE RISING.
GREENHOUSE GAS EMISSIONS
CAUSE OUR PLANET TO WARM
AND EARTH'S OCEANS ABSORB
ABOUT 90% OF THE EXCESS HEAT.
AS ICE MELTS AT THE POLES
AND HIGH IN THE MOUNTAINS,
AND THE MOLECULES
OF OCEAN WATER EXPAND,
THE SEAS ARE MAKING THEIR WAY
ON TO LAND.
SINCE 1880, SEA LEVELS
HAVE RISEN ABOUT EIGHT
TO NINE INCHES.
BUT THE SEAS
DON'T RISE UNIFORMLY,
SOME PLACES ARE AT HIGHER RISK
FOR FLOODING,
AND SEA LEVELS ARE RISING FASTER
AS TIME PASSES.
RIGHT NOW, SEA LEVEL IS RISING
ABOUT 3.3 MILLIMETERS A YEAR,
30% FASTER THAN IN 1992.
HERE AT NASA
WE'RE USING SATELLITES,
LIKE THE NEW
SENTINEL-6 MICHAEL FREILICH,
ALONG WITH SHIPS AND AIRPLANES,
TO STUDY THE PROCESSES
DRIVING SEA LEVELS RISE,
AND THE AFFECTS OF RISING SEAS.
>> OVER THE COURSE OF
NEARLY THREE DECADES,
A SERIES OF SATELLITES
HAVE CIRCLED OUR PLANET
CONTINUOUSLY MEASURING
SEA LEVELS.
THEIR DATA
HAVE HELPED RESEARCHES
REVEAL MYSTERIES
OF WEATHER PHENOMENON
LIKE EL NIÑO,
AND HAVE ALSO HELPED RESEARCHERS
FORECAST HOW MUCH SEA LEVEL RISE
COULD IMPACT OUR COASTLINES.
NOW ENGINEERS AND SCIENTISTS
ARE PREPARING TO LAUNCH
TWO IDENTICAL SATELLITES
TO ADD TO THIS LEGACY.
FIRST, SENTINEL-6
MICHAEL FREILICH,
AND SECOND, SENTINEL-6B,
LAUNCHING FIVE YEARS LATER.
HERE TO TELL US MORE
IS THE SENTINEL-6
PROJECT MANAGER, PARAG VAZE,
WHO HAS BEEN PART OF
SEA LEVEL RISE OBSERVATIONS
FOR NEARLY THIRTY YEARS.
>> I SEE PICTURES OF
COASTAL INUNDATION AND FLOODING.
WHAT MIGHT HAPPEN IN
THE NEXT HUNDRED YEARS
WITH THE TWO HUNDRED MILLION
PLUS PEOPLE WHO LIVE IN
THOSE LOW-LYING COASTAL AREAS
ALL ACROSS THE GLOBE?
MY NAME IS PARAG VAZE,
AND I DO ANYTHING
AND EVERYTHING
THAT'S NEEDED TO
MAKE SENTINEL-6 PROJECTS
SUCCESSFUL.
SENTINEL-6 IS ALL ABOUT WATER.
SO THIS IS A, UM,
A ONE THIRD SCALE MODEL
OF THE SENTINEL-6 SATELLITE.
SENTINEL-6 IS
A COLLABORATION WITH NASA, NOAA,
THE EUROPEAN SPACE AGENCY,
AND-AND ALSO EUMETSAT IN EUROPE
TO MEASURE SEA LEVEL.
THIS SORT OF TOP HALF
OF THE SATELLITE OF HOUSES, UM,
THE MAIN INSTRUMENTS.
THE HISTORY BEHIND THIS
GOES BACK THIRTY YEARS.
I'VE WORKED ON TOPEX/POSEIDON,
JASON 1, JASON 2, JASON 3,
AND NOW SENTINEL-6.
ALL OF THEM ARE
THE SAME SERIES OF-OF MISSIONS.
IT'S A GREAT, UH,
FEELING OF SATISFACTION.
I HAD ASPIRATIONS RIGHT FROM
CHILDHOOD TO SOMEHOW, UH,
WORK IN THE SPACE INDUSTRY.
I KNEW THAT I WANTED TO WORK IN
SOMETHING THAT MADE
A DIFFERENCE.
THIS IS THE ROOM WHERE WE-WE,
UH, DEVELOPED, INTEGRATED,
TESTED THE SENTINEL-6
INSTRUMENTS.
AND THEN RIGHT HERE
IS WHERE WE PACK IT UP ALSO,
BEFORE WE SHIPPED IT TO GERMANY.
SEEING THAT COME TO FRUITION
IS A PERSONAL SATISFACTION
AND AN EMOTIONAL SATISFACTION.
THE IMPORTANCE OF THIS PROJECT
AND WHERE IT TOUCHES
IS ON ALL WALKS OF LIFE
ALL ACROSS THE WORLD.
>> PARAG, THANK YOU SO MUCH
FOR JOINING US.
>> THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME.
>> ALL RIGHT,
LET'S KICK THIS OFF.
WHY IS IT IMPORTANT
TO STUDY SEA LEVEL RISE AT ALL?
>> YEAH, SEA LEVEL RISE, UH,
IS AN EXTREMELY IMPORTANT TOPIC,
UH, FOR EVERYONE.
UH, SOMETHING THAT, UH,
PEOPLE HAVE, UH,
SEEN IN THEIR BACK YARDS WITH,
UH, WITH THE OCEANS ACTUALLY,
UH, CHANGING OVER TIME.
UH, IT'S SOMETHING THAT PEOPLE
ARE NOTICING MORE RECENTLY
BUT SOMETHING THAT PEOPLE
HAVE KNOWN FOR
A LONG, LONG TIME.
UH, AND IT AFFECTS, UH,
EVERY DAY LIFE,
IT AFFECTS COMMERCE,
IT AFFECTS, UH, SHIPPING, UH,
ALL KINDS OF APPLICATIONS
WHERE PEOPLE REALLY WANT AND
NEED TO KNOW WHAT'S HAPPENING
ON-ON OUR OCEANS, WHICH, UH,
YOU KNOW, SURROUND OUR EARTH,
UH, FOR, UH, THE VAST MAJORITY
OF-OF THE EARTH, UH, HAVING,
UH, OCEANS-HAVING, UH OCEANS,
UH, 70%.
>> THAT'S RIGHT.
UH, YOU MAKE A GREAT POINT,
YOU KNOW, UH, IT'S MOST OF OUR--
IT'S MOST OF PLANET EARTH.
UM, SO WHAT WILL THIS MISSION
IN PARTICULAR CONTRIBUTE
TO THE EFFORT OF STUDYING
SEA LEVEL RISE?
>> RIGHT SO-SO SEA LEVEL RISE,
OR SEA LEVEL, UH,
HAS BEEN AN IMPORTANT TOPIC
FOR PEOPLE,
BUT REALLY UNDERSTANDING AND
QUANTIFYING WHAT'S HAPPENING
WITH THE-WITH THE OCEAN, UH,
IS-IS DIFFICULT TO DO.
UH, IT'S-IT'S CHANGING SLOWLY
BUT IT IS CHANGING.
UH, AND UNDERSTANDING HOW,
UH-UH, QUICKLY
THAT'S CHANGING REQUIRES
REALLY A MEASUREMENT,
A VERY PRECISE MEASUREMENT
AND A CONTINUOUS MEASUREMENT.
SO SENTINEL-6 WILL CONTINUE
THAT MEASUREMENT
THAT'S BEEN ESTABLISHED
FOR TWENTY-EIGHT YEARS
AND WHAT'S SPECIAL IS-IS
REALLY CONTINUE THAT
OVER THE COURSE OF
THE NEXT DECADES WITH, UH,
WITH TWO SATELLITES,
NOT JUST THE ONE OFF SATELLITE,
BUT TWO SATELLITES, UH,
TO-TO REALLY, UH,
ESTABLISH AND CONTINUE THAT.
>> THAT'S REMARKABLE.
UH, YOU KNOW ONE THING
THAT I THINK IS
REALLY INTERESTING IS, UM,
HOW WILL IT ACTUALLY
MEASURE SEA LEVEL RISE,
AND HOW WILL THAT CONTRIBUTE TO
WHAT WE ALREADY KNOW ABOUT
SEA LEVEL RISE?
>> YEAH SO, UH,
PEOPLE HAVE BEEN INTERESTED
IN MEASURING SEA LEVEL,
THEY'VE BEEN USING, UH,
YOU KNOW, DIPSTICKS ESSENTIALLY
IN-IN-IN THE YEARS, UH,
SINCE WHEN SHIPS WERE OUT
ON THE OCEAN, UH,
AND PEOPLE WERE CURIOUS
WHAT'S HAPPENING IN, UH, LIVING,
UH, CLOSE TO-CLOSE TO THE OCEAN.
UH, BUT THAT IS
A DIFFICULT PROCESS
TO REALLY UNDERSTAND
WHAT'S ACTUALLY HAPPENING
PRECISELY ACROSS THE WORLD.
SO SATELLITE REMOTE SENSING
REALLY IS A SOLUTION, UH,
THAT ALLOWS US TO UNDERSTAND
WHAT'S HAPPENING PRECISELY, UH,
OVER ALL OF THE OCEANS
ACROSS THE WHOLE WORLD.
>> SO I UNDERSTAND SENTINEL-6
IS AN INTERNATIONAL MISSION,
SPEAKING OF SEEING
THE WHOLE WORLD, UM,
CAN YOU SPEAK ABOUT
SOME OF THE GLOBAL COLLABORATION
THAT HAPPENED, UH,
TO-TO GET THIS MISSION
OFF THE GROUND?
>> YEAH SO, UM, IT'S A-
IT'S A GLOBAL PROBLEM,
IT'S A DIFFICULT PROBLEM,
SO, UH, IT REQUIRES, UH,
YOU KNOW, A-A GLOBAL SOLUTION
AND THAT MEANS PEOPLE, UH,
FROM ALL SKILL LEVELS
CONTRIBUTING TO THAT,
THAT HAS ACTUALLY
BEEN HAPPENING, UM,
AND WITH ENGINEERS, SCIENTISTS,
USERS, UH, FOR MANY, MANY YEARS.
BUT SENTINEL-6 BRINGS
THAT TOGETHER
IN AN OPERATIONAL SENSE.
UH, IT GOES FROM
TAKING SOMETHING
THAT'S BEEN DONE TOGETHER, UH,
AND BRINGING ALL THE RESOURCES
AND MINDS TOGETHER,
UH-UH TRADITIONALLY
FOR THE PAST TWENTY-EIGHT YEARS,
AND REALLY LOOKS TOWARDS
MAKING THAT INTO
AN OPERATIONAL SERVICE
THAT'S GONNA CONTINUE
FOR THE NEXT, UH, DECADES,
OR-OR-OR MORE.
>> YES.
AS YOU SAY, GLOBAL PROBLEMS
REQUIRE GLOBAL SOLUTIONS,
AND WE ARE DOING JUST THAT.
UM, BUT THAT'S ALL THE TIME
WE HAVE, UM, THANK YOU SO MUCH
FOR JOINING US, PARAG.
>> THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME.
>> A SATELLITE DEDICATED TO
UNCOVERING NEW KNOWLEDGE
ABOUT OUR RISING SEAS,
DESERVES TO BE NAMED AFTER
SOMEONE WHO DEDICATED HIS LIFE
TO UNDERSTANDING OUR OCEANS.
THAT IS WHY NASA'S
EUROPEAN PARTNERS
ON THIS MISSION,
NAMED SENTINEL-6A SATELLITE
IN HONOR OF MICHAEL FREILICH,
A WORLD RENOWNED OCEANOGRAPHER
AND FORMER DIRECTOR OF
NASA'S EARTH SCIENCE DIVISION.
MIKE'S CONTRIBUTIONS TO
EARTH SCIENCE WERE INVALUABLE.
>> MY STORY IS LIKELY QUITE
A-TYPICAL.
I KNEW IN TENTH GRADE
THAT I WANTED TO BE
A NEAR SHORE OCEANOGRAPHER.
WHAT HAS DRIVEN ME
IS UNDERSTANDING
HOW NATURE WORKS.
>> AND THAT'S WHY HUMANITY,
NOT ONE AGENCY, NOT ONE COUNTRY,
NOT ONE CONTINENT,
BUT WHY HUMANITY HAS BEEN
MONITORING GLOBAL SEA LEVEL
FROM SPACE WITH
EXQUISITE ACCURACY FOR
MORE THAN TWENTY-EIGHT YEARS.
>> HE'S A WORLD-RENOWNED
OCEAN SCIENTIST,
WHO AFTER A SUCCESSFUL CAREER
IN ACADEMIA CAME TO NASA,
AND FOR A DOZEN YEARS,
DR. MIKE FREILICH
LED ALL OF EARTH SCIENCE.
>> AND THIS REALLY BROUGHT NASA
BACK ON THE INTERNATIONAL STAGE.
>> AND THIS IS NOT WRONG,
YOU ALSO CHANGED THE DISCIPLINE
OF EARTH SCIENCE
IN A PROFOUND WAY,
COMBINING SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
TO UNDERSTAND
OUR BEAUTIFUL PLANET.
>> MIKE FREILICH'S LEGACY
IS BEING ABLE TO
BUILD THE COALITIONS
THAT ARE NECESSARY FOR US
TO GET AS MUCH UNDERSTANDING
OF OUR PLANET AS POSSIBLE.
THERE IS NOT ANOTHER PERSON
MORE DESERVING OF THIS HONOR
THAN MIKE FREILICH.
>> I AM VERY PLEASED TO RENAME
SENTINEL-6A IN THE FUTURE
TO BE CALLED SENTINEL-6
MICHAEL FREILICH.
[ APPLAUSE ]
>> YOU KNOW,
WHEN I-WHEN I FIRST FOUND OUT,
UH, THAT MIKE HAD--
WHEN I FIRST FOUND OUT
THAT MIKE HAD CANCER,
I WANT HIM TO KNOW THAT, UM,
ALL THE WORK HE'S DONE
IS EXTREMELY MEANINGFUL.
>> I AM MUCH BETTER
BECAUSE OF WHAT I LEARNED
FROM HIM AND BECAUSE
I HAD THE OPPORTUNITY
TO WORK WITH HIM.
>> MIKE IS A LEADER
TO ALL OF US,
AND A MENTOR,
AND, UH, A PERSON WHO REALLY
DEMANDS EARTH SCIENCE
FOR THE ENTIRE WORLD.
>> HE WAS ABSOLUTELY
COMMITTED TO DISPASSIONATELY
FOLLOWING THE SCIENCE.
>> HE HAD HIGH STANDARDS
FOR HIMSELF, UH,
AND EVERYONE AROUND HIM.
>> WE'RE ABLE TO RAISE THE BAR
OF WHAT WE CAN EXPECT
FROM OURSELVES,
FROM OUR PARTNERS,
AND FROM OUR LARGER
GLOBAL COMMUNITY.
>> MIKE HAD A VERY BIG,
UH, VERY FULL RED PEN.
EVERYBODY WAS ALWAYS
AFRAID OF THAT RED PEN.
>> HIS PRETTY INTENSE ENERGY
AND ONE OF THE CHARACTERISTICS
WAS THE BOUNCING KNEE,
WHICH YOU NEVER MISSED
AND IT WAS ALWAYS THERE
AND YOU COULD KIND OF GAUGE
THE WAY THE MEETING IS GOING
BY THE PACE OF THE BOUNCE.
>> I HAVE A LOT OF,
UH, EMAILS-EMAILS,
ON MY SMARTPHONE EXCHANGED
WITH MIKE,
WHICH I KEEP AS A TREASURE.
>> IT IS A NO-BRAINER THAT,
UH-UH, THAT-THAT WE ALL
CAME TOGETHER AND, UH,
AND THAT THEY WERE ABLE
TO-TO REALLY RALLY AROUND
AND-AND-AND ALLOW,
UM, THE NAME, RENAMING OF,
UH, SENTINEL-6A AFTER MIKE.
>> EARTH SYSTEM SCIENCE
IS BIGGER THAN ANY
PARTICULAR AGENCY,
IT'S BIGGER THAN
ANY SINGLE NATION,
IT'S BIGGER THAN ANY
SINGLE CONTINENT.
AND I SURELY HOPE,
BECAUSE HUMANITY REQUIRES IT,
THAT WE MAKE SOME SIGNIFICANT
PROGRESS IN UNDERSTANDING.
>> YOU DID GOOD, DR. FREILICH
FOR ALL OF US,
AND FOR THAT WE'RE ALL
VERY GRATEFUL.
>> MIKE FREILICH WAS
A LEADER IN EARTH SCIENCE
WHO BELIEVED IN FOSTERING
INTERNATIONAL PARTNERSHIPS
TO IMPROVE OUR UNDERSTANDING
OF ALL EARTH SYSTEMS,
INCLUDING OUR OCEANS.
LET'S GET TO KNOW SOME OF
THE PEOPLE BEHIND THIS
TRULY INTERNATIONAL MISSION.
>> THIS IS THIS BIG
COMPLEX MACHINE THAT
WE'RE TRYING TO UNDERSTAND.
>> WE REALLY NEED TO
UNDERSTAND HOW IT'S CHANGING,
HOW IS IT EVOLVING.
>> WHEREVER YOU LIVE
ON THIS GLOBE,
THE OCEANS WILL INFLUENCE YOU
IN SOME FORM OR THE OTHER.
>> WE ARE ANSWERING THOSE
REALLY INTERESTING
AND HARD QUESTIONS
THAT WE ALL HAVE
ABOUT OUR UNIVERSE
AND OUR PLANET.
>> MY NAME IS SEVERINE FOURNIER,
AND I'M OBSERVING OUR CHANGING
OCEANS FROM SPACE.
>> I'M SHANNON STATHAM,
AND HERE AT NASA JPL,
I HELP PREPARE SENTINEL-6
FOR ITS JOURNEY TO SPACE.
>> MY NAME IS SHAILEN DESAI.
>> MY NAME IS PARAG VAZE.
>> MY NAME IS BEN HAMLINGTON
AND I'M STUDYING
SEA LEVEL RISE FROM SPACE.
>> WE'RE LOOKING AT
A ONE-THIRD REPLICA
OF THE SENTINEL-6
MICHAEL FREILICH SATELLITE.
>> SENTINEL-6
IS ALL ABOUT WATER.
>> THIS SORT OF TOP HALF
OF THE SATELLITE HOUSES
THE MAIN INSTRUMENTS.
>> WE HAVE WE THE ALTIMETER,
WE HAVE THE RADIOMETER.
>> SENTINEL-6 IS A
COLLABORATION WITH NASA,
NOAA, THE EUROPEAN SPACE AGENCY,
AND-AND ALSO EUMETSAT
IN EUROPE TO MEASURE SEA LEVEL.
>> AND IT'S SPECIFICALLY
CAPTURING THE HEIGHT
OF THE OCEAN.
>> THE SATELLITE IS ACTUALLY
EMITTING A-A SIGNAL.
>> AND THAT SIGNAL
IS BOUNCING BACK.
>> IT MEASURES THE TIME
IT TAKES FOR THAT PULSE
TO GET BACK.
>> SO WE'VE BEEN MEASURING
THE HEIGHT OF THE OCEAN
SINCE THE BEGINNING
OF THE '90s.
>> I'VE WORKED ON
TOPEX/POSEIDON, JASON 1,
JASON 2, JASON 3.
>> WE REALLY NEED THAT
LONG DURATION OBSERVATION.
>> AND SENTINEL-6
IS GONNA ALLOW US
TO CONTINUE THAT RECORD.
>> SO THAT WE CAN
BETTER PREDICT,
WHAT IS THE RATE OF CHANGE?
WHAT IS IT GONNA
LOOK LIKE IN A YEAR?
FIVE YEARS?
TEN YEARS FROM NOW?
AND SO FORTH.
>> IT'S NOT JUST SCIENTIFIC
CURIOSITY, IT REALLY IMPACTS
THE DAILY LIVES OF PEOPLE
AND THEIR ABILITY TO PLAN
FOR THEIR FUTURE.
>> I SEE PICTURES OF
COASTAL INUNDATION
AND FLOODING.
>> YOU START TO REALIZE
THE IMPORTANCE OF UNDERSTANDING
WHAT SEA LEVEL IS DOING NOW
AND WE CAN USE THAT
UNDERSTANDING TO KNOW
WHAT SEA LEVEL MIGHT BE
DOING IN THE FUTURE.
>> SEEING THAT COME TO FRUITION,
IS A PERSONAL SATISFACTION
AND AN EMOTIONAL SATISFACTION.
>> SCIENTISTS AROUND THE WORLD
ARE USING THIS DATA
TO HELP PEOPLE.
>> THE IMPORTANCE OF THIS
PROJECT AND WHERE IT TOUCHES
IS ON ALL WALKS OF LIFE,
ALL ACROSS THE WORLD.
>> FROM SPACE
IT'S JUST ONE PLANET.
>> SEA LEVEL RISE
IS A DIRECT RESULT
OF CLIMATE CHANGE.
AS OCEAN TEMPERATURES INCREASE,
OUR GLOBAL OCEAN EXPANDS.
AS ICE SHEETS
AND GLACIERS MELT,
THEY ADD MORE WATER.
BUT CLIMATE CHANGE
HAS MANY IMPACTS
BEYOND SEA LEVEL RISE.
WE'RE JOINED BY
DR. IVONA CETINIC,
AN OCEANOGRAPHER
AT THE OCEAN ECOLOGY LAB
AT NASA'S GODDARD
SPACE FLIGHT CENTER.
THANK YOU FOR JOINING US, IVONA.
>> I'M HAPPY TO BE HERE, LAUREN.
>> ALWAYS HAPPY TO HAVE YOU.
SO WE KNOW THAT SEA LEVEL RISE
IS INCREASING THE HEIGHT
OF THE WORLD'S OCEAN,
BUT CAN YOU TELL US ABOUT
SOME OF THE OTHER THINGS
THAT ARE HAPPENING
DUE TO CLIMATE CHANGE?
>> FOR SURE.
SO, OCEAN AND CLIMATE,
THEY'RE VERY INTERLINKED.
UM, OCEAN'S PART OF
THE FOUR SYSTEMS OF EARTH,
AND EACH OF THEM CAN
ALL HAVE A COOL THING
THAT THEY'RE DOING
AND THEY'RE VERY INTERLINKED
THROUGH THE EXCHANGE OF WATER,
CARBON, OR ENERGY,
AND SO IF ONE KIND OF-
KIND OF FAILS,
THE OTHER ONE COMES TO HELP.
AND-AND OCEAN'S HELPING A LOT
AND TRYING TO CONTROL
THE CLIMATE CHANGE,
UH, BUT THERE'S DIFFERENT
ASPECTS OF-OF-- PROCESSES,
DIFFERENT PROCESSES
THAT ARE HAPPENING
IN THE OCEAN THAT WE CAN SEE
AS A RESULT OF CLIMATE CHANGE.
UM, FIRST ONE IS
THE INCREASE IN TEMPERATURE,
BOTH IN THE SEA SURFACE
AND THE INTERNAL PORTION
OF THE OCEAN
ALL AROUND THE WORLD.
THEN WE HAVE DISAPPEARANCE
OF THE SEA ICE, MOSTLY HAPPENING
IN THE ARCTIC REGION.
THEN WE HAVE THE SEA LEVEL RISE
THAT IS IMPACTED BY THESE
TWO PROCESSES THAT I MENTIONED
BEFORE THAT IS SEEN
ALL AROUND THE COAST,
ALL OVER THE OCEAN.
AND ULTIMATELY WE HAVE
OCEANS ACIDIFICATION,
WHICH IS A PROCESS
THAT'S HAPPENING
BECAUSE THE CARBON DIOXIDE
FROM THE ATMOSPHERE IS MELTING
IN THE OCEAN, IT'S CHANGING
THE ACIDITY OF THE OCEAN.
AND ALL THESE THINGS TOGETHER
IN A SENSE ARE
IMPACTING THE WAY
THAT THE PHYSICS, BIOLOGY,
CHEMISTRY, AND GEOLOGY
OF THE WORK-
OF THE OCEAN'S WORKING,
AND THEN ULTIMATELY
IT IMPACTS US.
>> SO WHAT I'M HEARING FROM YOU
IS THAT IT'S A VERY
COMPLICATED SYSTEM.
>> YEAH, AND VERY
INTRICATELY COLLECTED.
>> WOW, YES.
UM, WHAT TO--
SO I-I THINK ONE THING
THAT PEOPLE MIGHT FIND
SURPRISING IS THAT,
YOU KNOW, NASA HAS
A SUITE OF TOOLS THAT IT USES
TO STUDY THE OCEAN,
AND IT'S NOT JUST SATELLITES.
CAN YOU TELL ABOUT-TELL US
ABOUT SOME OF THOSE TOOLS
THAT WE USE TO MONITOR
THE OCEAN ECOSYSTEMS?
>> FOR SURE.
UM, SO AS AN OCEANOGRAPHER
WORKING AT NASA, I ALWAYS GET,
"LIKE, WHAT?" YOU KNOW,
[ CHUCKLING ] >> YES.
BUT NASA DOES STUDY EARTH,
AND NASA DOES STUDY OCEANS.
SO FIRST WE HAVE SATELLITES,
UM, AND THERE'S THIS WHOLE
FLEET OF NASA EARTH-OBSERVING
SATELLITES AND SOME OF THEM
ARE ACTUALLY LOOKING
SPECIFICALLY AT THE OCEAN
AND GIVING US THIS CONTINUOUS
AND OPTIC VIEW OF THE OCEAN-
OCEAN'S BEHAVIOR IN A SENSE.
YOU KNOW, IT TALKS ABOUT
PHYSICS, THE TEMPERATURE,
OR BIOLOGY.
UM, AND BIOLOGY IS REALLY COOL
BECAUSE THE STYLE LOOKS
AT THESE TEENY,
TINY PHYTOPLANKTON,
WHICH ARE LIKE TEENY TINY
PLANT-LIKE ORGANISMS
IN THE OCEAN.
AND I'M WORKING ON ONE
OF THESE MISSIONS, UM,
THAT'S GONNA BE LAUNCHED
IN A COUPLE YEARS,
CALLED PACE,
WHICH STAND FOR PLANKTON,
AEROSOL, CLOUD, OCEAN ECOSYSTEM,
AND THAT ONE AMONG OTHER THINGS
WILL LOOK AT THE DIVERSITY
OF THAT PHYTOPLANKTON,
THESE TEENY TINY CREATURES.
SO YOU HAVE THE SATELLITE,
AND THEN WE GO ON FIELD.
WE USE AIRCRAFTS, WE USE,
UM, RESEARCH VESSELS,
WE USE, UM, MOORINGS,
ROBOTS, FIELD STATIONS
TO KIND OF FOCUS ON
SPECIFIC QUESTIONS,
SPECIFIC AREAS.
AND THEN ULTIMATELY
WE TAKE ALL THAT DATA
AND PLUG IT INTO THE MODELS,
UH, SUCH AS BIG EARTH SYSTEM
MODELS THAT CAN REALLY
ALLOW US TO UNDERSTAND
THIS INTERACTION BETWEEN
THE OCEAN AND CLIMATE,
OCEAN ECOSYSTEMS AND CLIMATE,
AND THEN ACTUALLY PREDICT
WHAT'S GONNA HAPPEN
WITH THE OCEAN ECOSYSTEMS
OF TOMORROW.
>> WOW, THAT'S AMAZING.
I LOVE THAT-THAT VISION
OF SEEING, YOU KNOW,
PLANES IN THE SKY, SATELLITES,
BOATS ON THE WATER, EVERYTHING.
>> YEAH, EVERYTHING
COMES TOGETHER.
>> YOU'VE GOT THE WHOLE SUITE.
EXACTLY.
>> YEAH, IT'S-IT'S
PRETTY AWESOME.
>> IT'S AMAZING.
UM, YOU KNOW, I WANNA DIG
INTO THAT A LITTLE BIT DEEPER.
WHAT CHANGES ARE WE SEEING,
UH, TO OCEAN ECOSYSTEMS
DUE TO CLIMATE CHANGE?
THIS SOUNDS LIKE IT'S SOMETHING
THAT'S KIND OF
IN YOUR WHEELHOUSE.
>> YES, SO, UH, WE KNOW
WHEN-WHEN YOU-YOU MENTION
SEA LEVEL RISE
AND-AND THAT'S THE FIRST THING
THAT PEOPLE THINK ABOUT,
UM, CHANGING OCEANS,
AND THAT'S FELT ALONG THE COAST,
YOU KNOW, LIKE 40% OF THE PEOPLE
IN THE U.S. LIVE ALONG
THE COAST AND THAT'S WHERE
YOU FEEL IT THE MOST.
BUT OCEAN HAS ECOSYSTEMS,
AND ALL THESE ECOSYSTEMS,
ALTHOUGH HIDDEN FROM OUR EYES,
UM, THEY'RE THERE IN THE PRESENT
AND THEY'RE CHANGING.
SO, THANKS TO THE NASA
EARTH OBSERVING SATELLITES
WE CAN SEE THOSE CHANGES.
FOR EXAMPLE,
THIS IS PORTIONS OF THE EARTH
THAT WE CALL OCEANIC DESERTS,
WHERE THE NUMBER
OF THE PHYTOPLANKTON
ARE REALLY LOW,
AND THEY'RE ACTUALLY EXTENDING
OVER THE LAST DECADE OR SO.
SO, WE KNOW THAT.
UM, THEN WE GO BACK
TO THE-THE FIELD
AND-AND WE USE VESSELS.
AND WE SEE THAT THE TYPES
OF PHYTOPLANKTON
IN THESE ECOSYSTEMS
ARE CHANGING,
SOME OF THEM ARE ACTUALLY
MOVING POLEWARDS,
KIND OF LIKE TOWARDS,
LET'S SAY NORTH,
AND SO NOW, YOU KNOW,
HOW DOES IT AFFECT YOU?
I'M LIKE, YOU KNOW,
YOU LIVE ON A COAST,
YOU DON'T CARE ABOUT OPEN OCEAN.
WELL, THAT PHYTOPLANKTON
IS FOOD FOR SOMETHING,
IT'S ACTUALLY FOOD FOR
EVERYTHING IN THE OCEAN,
IT'S FOOD FOR THE FISH
THAT WILL ULTIMATELY
END ON YOUR PLATE.
SO, UM, THESE CHANGES
IN THE ECOSYSTEM,
ALTHOUGH YOU'RE NOT
IN A COASTAL AREA,
WILL EVENTUALLY AFFECT
EVERYBODY ON EARTH.
>> YEAH, EVERYTHING'S
ABOUT YOU, RIGHT? YOU KNOW?
>> EXACTLY, YUP.
>> THAT'S, UH, THAT'S KIND OF
A-A HARD AND FAST RULE.
UM, YOU KNOW,
SO WHAT I, YOU KNOW,
WHAT-WHAT STRIKES ME, IVONA,
IS THAT, UM, A LOT OF THIS NEWS
IS-IS KIND OF DISCOURAGING.
YOU WORK WITH DATA THAT, UM,
IS, UM, CAN BE VERY DARK.
WHAT DO YOU DO--
WHY DO YOU CONTINUE
DOING THIS WORK, YOU KNOW,
WHEN-WHEN THE NEWS
THAT YOU'RE GETTING CONSTANTLY
IS UNHAPPY OFTEN?
>> YEAH, SO YOU KNOW,
YOU GET LOTS OF DATA
WHEN YOU'RE WORKING AT NASA,
AND YOU'RE SURROUNDED
BY AMAZING SCIENTISTS
WHO KNOW MUCH MORE THAN I DO.
UM, AND ALL THAT STUFF
IS DISCOURAGING, DEFINITELY,
BUT-BUT THERE'S TWO REASONS
WHY I KEEP ON DOING IT.
FIRST, THIS IS OUR HOME,
THIS IS THE ONLY HOME WE HAVE,
THERE'S NO OTHER PLANET
THAT WE KNOW OF
THAT CONTAINS LIFE
OR ON WHICH WE CAN LIVE.
>> THAT IS TRUE.
>> EXACTLY, AND-AND
THE SECOND THING,
I DO HAVE A TEENY TINY
BIT OF HOPE IN HUMANITY
THAT WILL CHANGE ITS WAYS
AND, YOU KNOW, KIND OF LIKE
PROBABLY, HOPEFULLY,
UM, CHANGE THE PATH
THAT WE'RE CURRENTLY TAKING
IN REGARDS TO
THE CLIMATE CHANGE.
>> UH, YEAH, I THINK WE ALL
ARE HOLDING ON TO THAT
SPARK OF HOPE AND THAT'S WHY
WE DO WHAT WE DO.
UM, BUT THANK YOU SO MUCH
FOR JOINING US, IVONA,
WE LOVED HAVING YOU.
>> I'M SUPER HAPPY TO BE HERE.
>> REAL WORLD IMPACTS
OF OUR RISING OCEANS
CAN BE SEEN IN COASTAL
COMMUNITIES LIKE
THE HAMPTON ROADS REGION
IN SOUTHEAST VIRGINIA.
LET'S TAKE A LOOK TO SEE
HOW SEA LEVEL RISE
IS DIRECTLY AFFECTING
THEIR COMMUNITY,
AND HOW THEY ARE USING NASA DATA
TO HELP FORECAST FUTURE IMPACTS.
>> SEA LEVEL RISE IS
A MEASURABLE DIFFERENCE
IN WATER LEVEL OVER TIME
AND DIRECTLY CONTRIBUTING
TO THAT IS, OF COURSE,
CLIMATE CHANGE.
SO, AS THE TEMPERATURES RISE,
POLAR ICECAPS MELT,
AND SLOWLY THE WATER LEVEL
RISES THROUGHOUT THE GLOBE.
AND THERE ARE LOCALIZED IMPACTS
OF SEA LEVEL RISE.
>> IN HAMPTON ROADS WE ARE
PARTICULARLY VULNERABLE
TO, UH, COASTAL FLOODING.
>> THE HAMPTON ROADS REGION
OF VIRGINIA IS THE SECOND
MOST HEAVILY IMPACTED
REGION IN THE UNITED STATES
WHEN WE TALK ABOUT
SEA LEVEL RISE,
AFTER OF COURSE, NEW ORLEANS.
>> WE'RE STANDING HERE
AT THE HAGUE PART
OF NORFOLK, VIRGINIA,
WHICH IS IN THE MOUTH
OF THE CHESAPEAKE BAY
IN SOUTHEAST VIRGINIA.
THIS AREA WILL SEE
WHAT WE CALL BLUE SKY FLOODING
QUITE REGULARLY.
WHERE THERE'S-THERE'S
NO STORM EVENT.
AND SO THIS WATER COMES UP
OVER ON TO THIS SIDE,
WATER REACHES THE BULKHEAD,
FLOODS THE AREA AROUND IT,
AND THE ROAD BEHIND ME AS WELL.
>> A LOT OF MY RESEARCH
AT THE VIRGINIA INSTITUTE
OF MARINE SCIENCE
INVOLVES THE DEVELOPMENT
OF PHYSICS-BASED
HYDRODYNAMIC MODELS.
THESE MODELS TELL US
WHERE FLOODING'S GONNA
HAPPEN BEFORE IT DOES,
WHEN, AND FOR HOW LONG.
YOU'LL SEE ALL THESE INDIVIDUAL
STRUCTURES HERE,
MOST OF THEM, YOU KNOW,
THE WATERFRONT ARE INUNDATED.
THE INFORMATION PROVIDED
BY NASA SATELLITES,
MOSTLY ALLOWS US
TO VALIDATE THE ACCURACY
OF OUR MODEL IN TERMS OF
TELLING US WHERE THE FLOODING
ACTUALLY HAPPENED FROM SPACE.
>> THE MAPS THAT COME OUT
OF THE MODELS ARE REALLY USEFUL
AT SHOWING THE DEPTH OF WATER
THROUGHOUT THE CITY
AT THE STREET LEVEL
SO THAT WE CAN, YOU KNOW,
JUST MAKE BETTER DATA-DRIVEN
DECISIONS AROUND THE CITY.
>> THESE ARE TWO STANDARD
ACTIVE REMOTE SENSORS.
>> THIS IS AN EXAMPLE
OF A PRESSURE TRANSDUCER
WATER SENSOR
AND WHAT WE'VE BEEN TRYING
TO DO IS COMPARE DATA
LIKE NASA SATELLITE IMAGERY
TO SEE HOW IT COMPARES
TO THE-THE ACCURACY
THAT WE'RE GETTING
AT THE STREET LEVEL.
SO WHEN YOU PUT IT ALL TOGETHER
IT'S VERY VALUABLE.
>> ONE OF THE MAIN APPLICATIONS
IS REALLY TRYING TO SEE,
UH, BEFORE THESE EVENTS HAPPEN
WHERE IS GONNA BE THE PROBLEM
AREAS IN OUR COMMUNITIES.
>> DETERMINE WHAT ROADS
NEED TO BE CLOSED
OR INTERSECTIONS
NEED TO BE CLOSED WHEN.
>> WHERE THESE PROJECTS
SHOULD BE PERMITTED,
WILL THIS BUILDING LAST
THE THIRTY-YEAR LIFE
OF A STANDARD MORTGAGE?
OUR MODELS,
AS A REPRESENTATION OF REALITY,
HAVE TO BE AS ACCURATE
AS POSSIBLE.
THE ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
FROM THE NASA SATELLITES,
LANDSAT, ASTRO,
AND LOTUS REALLY HELPS US
CALIBRATE OUR MODEL.
>> HAVING THAT REGIONAL WATER
DEPTH MAP REALLY HELPS US
KIND OF HAVE AN UNDERSTANDING
WHAT THE FUTURE DAY TO DAY
LOOKS LIKE IN NORFOLK
WITH SEA LEVEL RISE.
>> IT'S A BETTER UNDERSTANDING,
SEA LEVEL RISE
WILL HELP YOU DECIDE
THE PLACES WHERE YOU MAY WISH
TO WORK OR LIVE
IN THE NEAR FUTURE.
IT ALSO HELPS YOU BETTER
UNDERSTAND SPECIFICALLY
WHAT YOUR RISK IS, UH,
INHERENT NOT JUST WITH FLOODING
BUT ALSO WITH THE CHANGES
TO OUR CLIMATE AS OUR WORLD
CONTINUES TO CHANGE,
EITHER FOR THE BETTER OR WORSE.
>> FROM THE VANTAGE
POINT OF SPACE,
WE ARE ABLE TO MONITOR
AND SEE CHANGES ACROSS
OUR PLANET AND COMPARE
DATA OVER TIME.
JOINING US NOW
IS DR. NACER CHAHAT,
SWOT PAYLOAD SYSTEMS
ENGINEER LEAD
WHO'S GOING TO TELL US MORE
ABOUT HOW WE STUDY OCEANS
FROM SPACE.
THANK YOU FOR JOINING US.
>> THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME.
>> IT'S A PLEASURE TO HAVE YOU.
SO, UH, LET'S GET INTO IT.
WE KNOW THAT NASA USES
SATELLITES TO STUDY OUR PLANET,
UM, BUT COULD YOU GIVE US
A BETTER IDEA
OF HOW THESE SPACECRAFT
ACTUALLY WORK, SPECIFICALLY,
UH, SENTINEL-6 MICHAEL FREILICH?
>> YEAH, SO NASA
HAS A WIDE RANGE OF, UH,
EARTH SCIENCE SATELLITES
THAT ACTUALLY STUDY EARTH
IN VERY DIFFERENT WAYS.
>> RIGHT.
>> UH, BUT FIRST I WOULD
LIKE TO START BY SAYING
THAT WE ARE NOT RELYING
ON OPTICAL MEASUREMENTS
BECAUSE THEY CAN BE IMPAIRED
BY THE WEATHER CONDITIONS
OR EVEN BY CLOUDS
OR WHETHER WE'RE
IN THE DAY OR NIGHT.
SO INSTEAD WE ARE MAINLY USING
MICROWAVE INSTRUMENTS,
WHICH ARE NOT BEING
AFFECTED BY THESE, UH,
CONDITIONS OR WHETHER,
UH, IT'S THE DAY OR NIGHT.
SO SENTINEL-6 SPECIFICALLY,
UH, USES TWO MAIN INSTRUMENTS.
UH, THE FIRST ONE
IS THE ALTIMETER,
WHICH IS AN ACTIVE,
UH, INSTRUMENT.
UH, ACTIVE INSTRUMENT
MEANS THAT IT ACTUALLY
TRANSMITS POWER,
PASSIVE INSTRUMENT MEANS
THAT IT'S ONLY LOOKING AT
WHAT'S COMING AT IT.
UH, SO, UH, THE ALTIMETER
ACTUALLY SENDS A PULSE,
THE PULSE GOES AND BOUNCES
BACK THE SURFACE OF EARTH,
AND COMES BACK
TO THE INSTRUMENTS.
SO WE KNOW THE PRICE-PRECISE
ORBIT OF THE SATELLITES,
AND WE ALSO KNOW
HOW LONG IT ACTUALLY TOOK
FOR THESE, UH,
PULSE TO TRAVEL BACK AND FORTH.
AND SO WE CAN ACTUALLY
EXTRACT THE SURFACE HEIGHT
BY DOING SO.
UH, HOWEVER IT'S A LITTLE
BIT TINY, UH, MORE COMPLEX
THAN THAT BECAUSE THESE PULSE
CAN ACTUALLY BE SLOWED DOWN
BY THE ATMOSPHERE.
SO AS A RESULT
WE HAVE A RADIOMETER,
WHICH IS A PASSIVE INSTRUMENT
THAT IS ONLY LOOKING AT
SPECIFIC FREQUENCIES
AND POWER, UH, COMING AT IT,
WHICH ALLOWS US TO KNOW,
UH, HOW THIS PULSE
IS BEING AFFECTED.
SO THAT ALLOWS US TO CALIBRATE
THE RESULT THAT WE'RE
GETTING FORM THE ALTIMETER,
ALLOWING US TO GET
A VERY PRECISE MEASUREMENT
OF THE SURFACE HEIGHT.
THAT'S HOW SENTINEL-6 WORKS.
>> WOW, I HEAR THAT
AND JUST THINK,
WE'VE GOT A LOT OF INCREDIBLY
SMART ENGINEERS WORKING
FOR TEAM NASA, YOURSELF
OBVIOUSLY, INCLUDED.
[ CHUCKLING ]
UM, SO ONE THING THAT
I'VE THOUGHT ABOUT
AND MAYBE OTHERS HAVE
THOUGHT ABOUT THIS TOO IS THAT,
UM, IF THE OCEAN
IS CONSTANTLY MOVING
AND CONSTANTLY CHANGING,
HOW ARE WE ABLE TO CAPTURE
ACCURATE MEASUREMENTS?
>> THAT'S ACTUALLY A GREAT
QUESTION AND MY FRIENDS
CONSISTENTLY ASK ME
THE SAME QUESTION.
SO TRYING TO ANSWER
THAT QUESTION ALL THE TIME
I REALIZE THAT IT'S BECAUSE
PEOPLE HAVE IN MIND THE FACT
THAT WE'RE LOOKING
AT A SINGLE POINT,
SO IF YOU'RE LOOKING AT A SINGLE
POINT THAT IS CONSTANTLY MOVING,
SO OF COURSE IT
MAKES IT VERY DIFFICULT.
HOWEVER, WHAT THE, UH,
ALTIMETER IS ACTUALLY
LOOKING IS A FOOTPRINT,
UM, AT THE SURFACE--
ON, UH, ON THE OCEAN
THAT IS ACTUALLY QUITE LARGE,
UH, SEVERAL KILOMETERS,
SO AS A RESULT, SMALL VARIATION,
UH-UH, AS A RESULT OF WAVES
AND THINGS LIKE THAT
WILL NOT REALLY AFFECT
THESE RESULTS SINCE WE'RE
AVERAGE-AVERAGING OVER
SUCH A LARGE, UH, AREA.
AND ALSO I SHOULD ADD TO THAT,
THAT THE OTHER, UH,
SPECIAL-SPECIAL, UH,
TEMPORAL RESOLUTION
IS REALLY WHAT WE CARE ABOUT.
SO, UH, SENTINEL-6
WILL BE ABLE TO COVER
THE ENTIRE MAP, UH,
OF ACTUALLY 95% OF THE MAP
OF THE GLOBE,
UH, EVERY TEN DAYS.
SO WE'LL BE ABLE
TO GET THIS DATA POINT
EVERY, UH, TEN DAYS
FOR A DURATION OF THE MISSION
WHICH IS FIVE YEARS,
UNTIL THE NEXT SATELLITE GOES
AND IT'S GONNA BE FIVE YEARS
AT ALL, UH, AGAIN.
SO THE SCIENTISTS
ARE LOOKING AT A VERY,
UH-UH CHANGES OVER A LARGE,
UH-UH, AMOUNT OF TIME,
SO, MANY YEARS.
>> RIGHT, YEAH,
SO IT'S NOT-IT'S NOT JUST
ABOUT ONE WAVE AT ONE MOMENT,
IT'S ABOUT, YOU KNOW,
UH-UH THE BIG PICTURE
OVER A LONG PERIOD OF TIME--
>> EXACTLY.
>> --ON AVERAGE.
>> YEAH.
>> YEAH, THAT MAKES TOTAL SENSE.
YEAH, SO NOW I WANNA
TALK ABOUT SOMETHING
THAT'S PROBABLY VERY NEAR
AND DEAR TO YOUR HEART.
WE'VE BEEN TALKING A LOT ABOUT
NASA'S NEXT OCEAN MONITORING
SYSTEM, SENTINEL-6,
UM, BUT I UNDERSTAND
YOU'RE ACTUALLY WORKING ON
A NEW EARTH OBSERVING
MISSION CALLED SWOT.
AND BEFORE WE GET INTO YOU
TELLING US WHAT SWOT IS ABOUT,
CAN YOU ACTUALLY TELL US
WHAT THAT ACRONYM MEANS?
>> YES, SO SWOT MEANS SURFACE,
WATER, OCEAN, TOPOGRAPHY.
>> OKAY.
>> AND TOPOGRAPHY IS A FANCY
WORD TO DEFINE THE STUDY
OF THE SHAPE OF, UH,
WHAT WE'RE LOOKING AT.
>> OKAY, GOT IT.
>> AND SO THE WAY SWOT WORKS,
UH, IT'S BASICALLY,
WE'RE USING THE SAME INSTRUMENT
THAT SENTINEL-6 IS USING,
SO IT CARRIES A-A-A LARGE
HERITAGE FROM SENTINEL-6
AND THE JASON SERIES,
UH, SATELLITES.
UH, BUT ON TOP OF THE ALTIMETER
AND THE RADIOMETER
AND ALL THE INSTRUMENTS
TO-TO PROVIDE A PRECISE
ORBIT, UH, MEASUREMENT
OF THE SATELLITE,
WE'LL ALSO HAVE A VERY,
VERY FANCY RADAR.
I'M NOT GONNA GO
INTO THE DETAILS
ON HOW THIS, UH-UH-UH,
RADAR WORKS, BUT UH,
WHAT YOU NEED TO TAKE OUT
OF THAT IS THAT THIS,
UH, FANCY RADAR, UH,
ALLOWS US TO GET INLAND
MEASUREMENTS, AND ALSO,
UH, FOR THE FIRST TIME,
THAT'S GONNA BE THE FIRST TIME
A SATELLITE WILL BE ABLE
TO GET INLAND
WATER MEASUREMENTS.
>> THAT'S-THAT'S HUGE.
>> YES.
AND ALSO, IT WILL BE ABLE
TO GIVE US, UH,
INFORMATION ABOUT
THE CURRENTS ON THE OCEAN.
UH, AND ON TOP OF THAT,
WILL GIVE US A BETTER
RANGE RESOLUTION, UH,
AND DISCRIMINATION
OF A FEW METERS.
SO WE'RE PUSHING THE LIMITS
OF WHAT WE'RE CAPABLE OF, UH,
DOING WITH CURRENT SATELLITES,
UH, EVERY TIME.
SO SATELLITE'S
A GOOD EXAMPLE OF THAT,
WE'RE ALWAYS PUSHING
THE BOUNDARIES
OF WHAT WE CAN DO.
>> WELL YOU HEARD IT HERE,
FOLKS, UH, OUR TEAM
IS PRODUCING THE LATEST
AND GREATEST WITH
WHATEVER THEY DO,
AND RIGHT NOW IT HAPPENS TO BE
AN AMAZING OCEAN
MONITORING SYSTEM.
UM, BUT THAT'S ABOUT
ALL THE TIME WE HAVE.
THANK YOU SO MUCH, NACER,
FOR JOINING US.
>> THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME.
MY PLEASURE.
>> AND THANK YOU
FOR JOINING US AT HOME.
IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO LEARN MORE
ABOUT OUR GLOBAL OCEAN
AND SEA LEVEL RISE
RESEARCH AT NASA,
PLEASE HEAD OVER TO
SEALEVEL.NASA.GOV.
FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT
THE SENTINEL-6 MICHAEL FREILICH
SATELLITE AND SEA LEVEL RISE,
AND FOR WAYS TO WATCH
THE LAUNCH WITH US,
FOLLOW @NASAEARTH ON
TWITTER AND FACEBOOK.
UNTIL THEN,
WE'LL SEE YOU NEXT TIME.