The marine data and products from the Sentinel-3 satellites are primarily developed to support the maritime safety services that need ocean-surface wave information, surface temperature and data to improve ocean current forecasting systems; sea-water quality and pollution monitoring, requiring advanced ocean colour products in both open ocean and coastal oceanographic application areas; sea-ice charting services, requiring sea-ice extent and iceberg detection. 

Support to Marine Environment

The mission's main objective in support to the Marine Environment is to determine parameters such as sea-surface topography, sea-surface temperature, as well as ocean-surface colour with high-end accuracy and reliability. To realise these objectives, the following set of observational requirements has been established:

• Sea surface topography (SSH) and, significant wave height (SWH) over the global ocean to an accuracy and precision exceeding that of Envisat RA-2.
• Sea surface temperature (SST) determined globally to an equivalent accuracy and precision as that presently achieved by A/ATSR (i.e. <0.3 K), at a spatial resolution of 1 km.
• Visible and Thermal Infrared radiances ('Ocean Colour') for oceanic and coastal waters, determined to an equivalent level of accuracy and precision as MERIS data with complete Earth coverage in two to three days, and co-registered with SST measurements.

The European Space Agency (ESA) Sentinel webpages have more information on Sentinel-3.