By Rud Istvan
About the time NASA launched new SLR ‘bird’ Sentinel-6, I posted on whether it was (unlike its predecessor Jason 3) mission fit for purpose.
At that time, there was then no way of knowing. NASA claimed it was, but provided no hard supporting information.
Now we know.
IT ISN’T.
NASA today made a big press announcement, that after 6 months of calibration in space, Sentinel-6 will start providing two data products on June 23, 2021, “keeping an eye on rising seas”.
The first will be available within hours of collection and is accurate to 5.8 cm.
The second will be available two days after collection and is accurate to 3.5 cm.
Since the long record differential GPS corrected (for vertical land motion) tide gauges all show about 2.2mm/year and no acceleration, both data products are useless for any SLR climate purpose.
Nonetheless, the NASA announcement is accompanied by a Sentinel-6 data preview image, below. ‘
Above average SL’ (huh???), of course, is red!!!
NASA imagines sea level is like the children of fictional Lake Wobegon—all above average.
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Is there a dependable standard to interpret statements such as
accurate to 3.5 cm?
I would think it just a lazy way to say plus or minus 3.5 cm but since there are many such values given without further information or comment I don’t know if that is true. It might mean something quite different such as a range of 3.5cm/2 or even something less obvious.
This is one of the major purposes of the BIPM JCGM 100 Guide, “Evaluation of measurement data — Guide to the expression of uncertainty in measurement”, aka the GUM: to provide a standard and common of expressing uncertainty information, and statements such as “accurate to 3.5 cm” do not conform to the Guide. By following the Guide, questions such as this are greatly minimized.
“and is accurate to 5.8 cm”
I assume this means +/- 5.8 cm? This gives scientists more room to adjust the real data so that it fits their theory.
Come-on people…We can still use the satellite for a useful purpose…As target practice for ICBM defense lasers perhaps?
Rising Sea Levels – The Climate Debate – The Saltbush Club The undersigned here would seem well qualified to hold an opinion on this. No movement in 100 years at Fort Denison in Sydney Harbour.