By providing all weather, global, and real-time observations of sea level, a key variable to constrain ocean analysis and forecasting systems, satellite altimetry has had a profound impact on the development of operational oceanography. This paper provides an overview of the development and evolution of satellite altimetry and operational oceanography over the past 20 years from the launch of Jason-1 in 2001 to the launch of SWOT (Surface Water and Ocean Topography) in 2022.

Around 90 % global warming occurs in the ocean but is insufficiently understood at the air–sea interface. Thermodynamics of the standard TEOS-10 is an improved tool for the description of heat exchange processes.