The ROCSTAR project (Resolving Ocean heat Content changes by combining Space gravimeTry, Argo and Radar altimetry) will provide new insights in the Earth’s energy budget, sea level change, and its link with precipitation from an observational viewpoint. The aim is to improve oceanic temperature (T) and salinity (S) estimates, together with sea surface changes and ocean bottom pressure. This is accomplished by combining space geodetic data ( satellite gravimetry and satellite radar altimetry) together with Argo profiles.

The ocean acts as a giant heat battery and stores excess heat from the atmosphere. The heat transfer in or out of the ocean modulates the Earth's climate through various mechanisms and is therefore a crucial quantity to observe.

A warmer ocean means more potential for evaporation and can thus affect precipitation patterns. The absorption of heat causes the ocean column to expand and to contribute to sea level rise, and the non-uniform density changes may also cause circulation changes.