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Altimetry is the measurement of the height of the sea - also known as SSH - or Sea Surface Height. The areas illustrated in blue are lower (indicated in centimeters) than the surrounding areas and show upwelling. Upwelling provides nutrients from the deep. Areas illustrated in red show downwelling. Downwelling are areas where the sea is higher and the warmer lifeless water is sinking towards the sea floor. These upwelling and downwellings also account for offshore currents - downwellings spin in a clockwise direction and upwellings spin counter-clockwise. As fisherman, we want to target areas of transition between the upwelling and downwelling.

NOTE: Altimetry data takes 24 hours to process so the date of the chart will always be a day behind. Also, altimetry data is not always available on weekends.

To read more about altimetry data and its use by fisheries scientists click here.