The Story of GANDER

GANDER – for Global Altimeter Network Designed to Evaluate Risk – was an idea that was probably ahead of its time. Conceived at a time when ocean observing satellites were sometimes 10 years in the planning stage, the concept of affordable faster sampling through the use of altimeter-carrying microsats was primarily advanced as a way of detecting and tracking storms at sea on a daily basis. But, of course, a radar altimeter monitors changes in sea-level as well as surface wave height and wind speed. Here then is a system which, flown with more precise missions such as JASON 2, could meet the needs of ocean modellers by providing the greater detail required for tracking mesoscale eddies, whilst servicing forecasting centres and units at sea with near real-time sea state information. A tsunami mode, instantly activated when an undersea earthquake is detected by the global network of seismic stations, could also be incorporated.