While building on previous oceanographic missions, TOPEX/Poseidon carries improved instrumentation and has the most accurate precision orbit determination of any earth-orbiting satellite. Its altimeter has a measurement precision of approximately 2.5 centimeters. After correction the resulting sea level observations are accurate to 5 centimeters.
During the Primary Observation and Extended Observation phases of the mission, the satellite continuously observes the surface currents of the ocean, and provides a valuable long-term, global dataset unprecedented in the history of oceanography. This in turn allows researchers to calculate ocean currents, identify climate trends, and improve weather forecasting.
TOPEX/Poseidon contributes to the prospect of detailed understanding of the global ocean, and useful climate forecasts on time scales longer than a season.
