NASA-SSH Global Mean Sea Level from Simple Gridded Sea Surface Height

(NASA_SSH_GMSL_INDICATOR)
Version1
Processing Level4
Start/Stop Date1993-Jan-04 to Present
Short NameNASA_SSH_GMSL_INDICATOR
DescriptionThis file contains a time series of globally-averaged sea level change, or "global mean sea level" (GMSL) in units of centimeters. The estimate is based on satellite observations of sea surface height anomaly, measured by reference radar altimeter missions such as TOPEX/Poseidon, the Jason series, and Sentinel-6. The indicator values were calculated using NASA-SSH Simple Gridded Sea Surface Height from Standardized Reference Missions Only Version 1 https://podaac.jpl.nasa.gov/dataset/NASA_SSH_REF_SIMPLE_GRID_V1 .

GMSL was calculated as the area-weighted average over each map in the time series of Simple Gridded Sea Surface Height. Because maps are computed using 10-days of observations, but are computed once every 7 days, there is a small amount of overlap between data used to compute successive time steps. A version of the estimate smoothed over 60 days is also provided.

Expert users, please note that this estimate has NOT been adjusted for Glacial Isostatic Adjustment, to account for the slight long-term depression of the sea floor. Users who study the sea level budget will need to account for this effect in order to properly evaluate closure of the budget.

The file with the filename "NASA_SSH_GMSL_INDICATOR.txt" is always the most up-to-date time series containing the most recent data.
DOI10.5067/NSIND-GMSV1
MeasurementOCEANS > SEA SURFACE TOPOGRAPHY > SEA LEVEL
OCEANS > SEA SURFACE TOPOGRAPHY > SEA SURFACE HEIGHT
Platform/Sensor
TOPEX/POSEIDON
Platform
Name: Ocean Topography Experiment (TOPEX/POSEIDON)
/
SSALT
SENSOR
Name: POSEIDON Solid State Radar Altimeter (SSALT)

TOPEX/POSEIDON
Platform
Name: Ocean Topography Experiment (TOPEX/POSEIDON)
/
NRA
SENSOR
Name: Nasa Radar Altimeter (NRA)

TOPEX/POSEIDON
Platform
Name: Ocean Topography Experiment (TOPEX/POSEIDON)
/
TMR
SENSOR
Name: TOPEX Microwave Radiometer (TMR)

JASON-1
Platform
Name: Ocean Topography Experiment (JASON-1)
/
POSEIDON-2
SENSOR
Name: JASON-1 RADAR ALTIMETER (POSEIDON-2)

JASON-1
Platform
Name: Ocean Topography Experiment (JASON-1)
/
JASON-1 Microwave Radiometer
SENSOR
Name: JASON-1 Microwave Radiometer (JASON-1 Microwave Radiometer)

OSTM/JASON-2
Platform
Name: Joint Altimetry Satellite Oceanography Network - 2 (OSTM/JASON-2)
/
POSEIDON-3
SENSOR
Name: JASON-2 RADAR ALTIMETER (POSEIDON-3)

OSTM/JASON-2
Platform
Name: Joint Altimetry Satellite Oceanography Network - 2 (OSTM/JASON-2)
/
AMR
SENSOR
Name: Advanced Microwave Radiometer (AMR)

JASON-3
Platform
Name: Joint Altimetry Satellite Oceanography Network - 3 (JASON-3)
/
POSEIDON-3B
SENSOR
Name: Poseidon-3B Altimeter (POSEIDON-3B)

JASON-3
Platform
Name: Joint Altimetry Satellite Oceanography Network - 3 (JASON-3)
/
AMR-2
SENSOR
Name: Advanced Microwave Radiometer-2 (AMR-2)

Sentinel-6A
Platform
Name: Sentinel-6A (Sentinel-6A)
/
Poseidon-4 Radar Altimeter
SENSOR
Name: Poseidon-4 Radar Altimeter (Poseidon-4 Radar Altimeter)

Sentinel-6A
Platform
Name: Sentinel-6A (Sentinel-6A)
/
AMR-C
SENSOR
Name: Advanced Microwave Radiometer-C (AMR-C)

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ProjectNASA Sea Surface Height Products based on Radar Altimetry (NASA-SSH)
Data ProviderPublisher: PO.DAAC
Creator: Willis, J. K., S. Fournier, K. Marlis, and E. Killett
Release Place: CA, USA
Release Date: 2025-Apr-19

FormatASCII
Keyword(s)ENSO, El Nino, La Nina, El Nino - Southern Oscillation
Questions related to this dataset? Contact podaac@podaac.jpl.nasa.gov
Resolution
Temporal Resolution: Weekly - < Monthly
 
Coverage
North Bounding Coordinate: 66 degrees
South Bounding Coordinate: -66 degrees
West Bounding Coordinate: -180 degrees
East Bounding Coordinate: 180 degrees
Time Span: 1993-Jan-04 to Present
 
USER'S GUIDE
USER FEEDBACK PAGE
GENERAL DOCUMENTATION
DATA CITATION GUIDELINES
Citation is critically important for dataset documentation and discovery. Please cite the data as follows, and cite the reference papers when it is appropriate.
Citation Willis, J. K., S. Fournier, K. Marlis, and E. Killett. 2025. NASA-SSH Global Mean Sea Level from Simple Gridded Sea Surface Height. Ver. 1. PO.DAAC, CA, USA. Dataset accessed [YYYY-MM-DD] at https://doi.org/10.5067/NSIND-GMSV1

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For more information see Data Citations and Acknowledgments.
Journal Reference K.Y. Kim, B. Hamlington, H. Na. 2015. Theoretical foundation of cyclostationary EOF analysis for geophysical and climatic variables: concepts and examples, Elsevier, 150. 10.1016/j.earscirev.2015.06.003

P. Kumar, B. Hamlington, S. Cheon, W. Han, and P. Thompson. 2020. 20th Century Multivariate Indian Ocean Regional Sea Level Reconstruction,, 125, 10. 10.1029/2020jc016270

B. D. Hamlington et al.. 2019. The Dominant Global Modes of Recent Internal Sea Level Variability,, 124 , 4. 10.1029/2018jc014635