Satellite altimetry is not new. The first measurements were made from Skylab in 1973. However, altimetry has blossomed since the early 1990s, especially with results from the TOPEX/Poseidon altimeter mission, which began in 1992 and continues today. Few people missed seeing altimeter‐derived images or movies of the El Niñno/La Niña events in the late 1990s on television newscasts, though many may not have realized the source.