The reason to preserve that consistency is concrete. Each Sentinel-6 satellite uses a radar altimeter to measure ocean height by bouncing thousands of radar pulses a second off waves. Warm water expands, so differences in ocean height provide information about ocean heat content, which helps forecasters assess how quickly hurricanes may grow. [S1]
For the reference-satellite role, the successor also extends an existing record. NASA traces the sea level observations back to TOPEX/Poseidon, launched in 1992, and through Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich. JPL deputy project scientist Severine Fournier identifies measuring consistently as essential to the record’s forecasting value. Read together, those details make continuity a functional part of the replacement design. [S1]
Source documents
- How 2 US, European Satellites Are Studying Hurricanes During El Niñohttps://www.nasa.gov/missions/jason-cs-sentinel-6/how-2-us-european-satellites-are-studying-hurricanes-during-el-nino/