The European Space Agency (ESA) is Europe’s gateway to space. Its mission is to shape the development of Europe’s space capability and ensure that investment in space continues to deliver benefits to the citizens of Europe and the world.
Find out more about space activities in our 23 Member States, and understand how ESA works together with their national agencies, institutions and organisations.
Exploring our Solar System and unlocking the secrets of the Universe
Go to topicProtecting life and infrastructure on Earth and in orbit
Go to topicUsing space to benefit citizens and meet future challenges on Earth
Go to topicMaking space accessible and developing the technologies for the future
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Strange as it may seem, the surface of the ocean is not flat. It contains hills and valleys which are an echo of the ocean floor. Another factor influencing the level of the mean sea surface is the circulation of the oceans involving warm and cold currents, factors which contribute significantly to our climate. These features are recorded in detail by ERS-1 's Radar Altimeter as it sweeps across the oceans.
This image of the mean sea surface elevation over the North Atlantic exhibits many topographical features, such as the mid-ocean ridge and the continental shelfs. The corresponding mean sea level variations amount to tens of metres, he Radar Altimeter determines with a precision of two centimetres at high l resolution. These data improve our knowledge of the Earth's gravity field and enables us to identify small-scale structures and changes of ocean currents.
Mean sea surface topography derived from ERS-1 Radar Altimeter data.
(Photo: Carel Wakkers, TU Delft, the Netherlands)