First Calibration Results for the SARAL/AltiKa Altimetric Mission Using the Gavdos Permanent Facilities

This work presents the first calibration results for the SARAL/AltiKa altimetric mission using the Gavdos permanent calibration facilities. The results cover one year of altimetric observations from April 2013 to March 2014 and include 11 calibration values for the altimeter bias. The reference ascending orbit No. 571 of SARAL/AltiKa has been used for this altimeter assessment. This satellite pass is coming from south and nears Gavdos, where it finally passes through its west coastal tip, only 6 km off the main calibration location. The selected calibration regions in the south sea of Gavdos range from about 8 km to 20 km south off the point of closest approach. Several reference surfaces have been chosen for this altimeter evaluation based on gravimetric, but detailed regional geoid, as well as combination of it with other altimetric models.

Based on these observations and the gravimetric geoid model, the altimeter bias for the SARAL/AltiKa is determined as mean value of ?46mm ±10mm, and a median of ?42 mm ±10 mm, using GDR-T data at 40 Hz rate. A preliminary cross-over analysis of the sea surface heights at a location south of Gavdos showed that SARAL/AltiKa measure less than Jason-2 by 4.6 cm. These bias values are consistent with those provided by Corsica, Harvest, and Karavatti Cal/Val sites. The wet troposphere and the ionosphere delay values of satellite altimetric measurements are also compared against in-situ observations (?5 mm difference in wet troposphere and almost the same for the ionosphere) determined by a local array of permanent GNSS receivers, and meteorological sensors.     

长江口EnviSat测高数据的波形分类重构分析

采用波形分类重构算法处理EnviSat卫星从2002年10月至2010年5月在长江口近岸海域28°N~32°N、121°E~125°E范围内的波形数据。该区域内海洋波形、波形后缘前端出现峰值的波形、波形后缘后端出现峰值的波形、似镜面波形和复杂波形分别占89.03%、2.95%、0.45%、3.31%和4.26%。根据不同的波形类别采用不同波形算法进行波形重构。同时,分析了不同重构算法之间的系统偏差,并据此确定OCOG算法、Threshold算法和子波形算法的最优阈值水平分别为65%、45%和50%。重构结果表明,波形分类重构算法优于其他波形重构算法,能有效改善原始海面高的精度,改善程度在16.62%~53.86%之间。此外,重构后交叉点差值小于重构前的交叉点差值,与轨迹P089、P411形成的交叉点的海面高差值由1m降低到25cm左右,其余交叉点的差值均在2~6cm。     

Airborne laser altimetry survey of Glaciar Tyndall, Patagonia

The first airborne laser altimetry measurements of a glacier in South America are presented. Data were collected in November of 2001 over Glaciar Tyndall, Torres del Paine National Park, Chilean Patagonia, onboard a Twin Otter airplane of the Chilean Air Force. A laser scanner with a rotating polygon-mirror system together with an Inertial Navigation System (INS) were fixed to the floor of the aircraft, and used in combination with two dual-frequency GPS receivers. Together, the laser–INS–GPS system had a nominal accuracy of 30 cm after data processing. On November 23rd, a total of 235 km were flown over the ablation area of Glaciar Tyndall, with 5 longitudinal tracks with a mean swath width of 300 m, which results in a point spacing of approximately 2 m both along and across track. A digital elevation model (DEM) generated using the laser altimetry data was compared with a DEM produced from a 1975 map (1:50,000 scale — Instituto Geográfico Militar (IGM), Chile). A mean thinning of − 3.1 ± 1.0 m a^− 1 was calculated for the ablation area of Glaciar Tyndall, with a maximum value of − 7.7 ± 1.0 m a^− 1 at the calving front at 50 m a.s.l. and minimum values of between − 1.0 and − 2.0 ± 1.0 m a^− 1 at altitudes close to the equilibrium line altitude (900 m a.s.l.). The thinning rates derived from the airborne survey were similar to the results obtained by means of ground survey carried out at  600 m of altitude on Glaciar Tyndall between 1975 and 2002, yielding a mean thinning of − 3.2 m a^− 1 [Raymond, C., Neumann, T.A., Rignot, E., Echelmeyer, K.A., Rivera, A., Casassa, G., 2005. Retreat of Tyndall Glacier, Patagonia, over the last half century. Journal of Glaciology 173 (51), 239–247.]. A good agreement was also found between ice elevation changes measured with laser data and previous results obtained with Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (SRTM) data. We conclude that airborne laser altimetry is an effective means for accurately detecting glacier elevation changes in Patagonia, where an ice thinning acceleration trend has been observed during recent years, presumably in response to warming and possibly also drier conditions.     

Reconstruction of Mediterranean sea level fields for the period 1945–2000

The distribution of sea level in the Mediterranean Sea is recovered for the period 1945–2000 by using a reduced space optimal interpolation analysis. The method involves estimating empirical orthogonal functions from satellite altimeter data spanning the period 1993–2005 that are then combined with tide gauge data to recover sea level fields over the period 1945–2000. The reconstruction technique is discussed and its robustness is checked through different tests. For the altimetric period (1993–2000) the prediction skill is quantified over the whole domain by comparing the reconstructed fields with satellite altimeter observations. For past times the skill can only be tested locally, by validating the reconstruction against independent tide gauge records. The reconstructed distribution of sea level trends for the period 1945–2000 shows a positive peak in the Ionian Sea (up to 1.5 mm yr^− 1) and a negative peak of − 0.5 mm yr^− 1 in a small area to the south-east of Crete. Positive trends are found nearly everywhere, being larger in the western Mediterranean (between 0.5 and 1 mm yr^− 1) than in the eastern Mediterranean (between 0 and 0.5 mm yr^− 1). The estimated rate of mean sea level rise for the period 1945–2000 is 0.7 ± 0.2 mm yr^− 1, i.e. about a half of the rate estimated for global mean sea level. These overall results do not appear to be very sensitive to the distribution of tide gauges. The poorest results are obtained in open-sea regions with intense mesoscale variability not correlated with any tide gauge station, such as the Algerian Basin.     

南海海盆重力异常场特征及构造演化

卫星重力测高能提供高分辩率的空间重力异常资料。本文解译了南海地块细结构的重力异常特征 ,并探讨了南海海盆的形成与演化     

Slicer Laser Altimetry In The Eastern Caribbean

Data acquired by the airborne Scanning Lidar Imager of Canopies by EchoRecovery (SLICER) laser altimeter provided high-resolution digital topographicdata over Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic and several of the Lesser AntillesIslands. The instrument was developed by the NASA-Goddard Space Flight Center.It has the capability of multibeam resolution of ground elevations beneath densecanopy areas. Data, therefore, can be used to generate a more accurate representation of the ground surface by removing the vegetation cover. Although internal precision is high (10 cm to 1 m), absolute accuracy is difficult to evaluate and depends on several factors, including the post-processed kinematic GPS (KGPS) flight path for the aircraft platform and clear identification of ground returns in the SLICER waveform. We compared topographic profiles from USGS 30 m and 1:250K DEMs for Puerto Rico with those generated by SLICER and with spot elevations derived from static and continuous GPS surveys. SLICER and KGPS surveys cross at six points in western Puerto Rico. Agreement between both elevation data sets is excellent and well fit (r = 0.921) by a linear model with a final residual bias of -0.501 m for SLICER ground returns relative to KGPS elevations. The agreement between SLICER and USGS 30 m DEMs is also very good with the largest errors associated with steep slopes and high vegetation cover. Residuals between KGPS and USGS 30 m DEMs are +1 ± 25 m, assuming a fixed uniform offset of +43.23 m between WGS84 and mean sea level.     

Contributions of Satellite Laser Ranging to Past and Future Radar Altimetry Missions

Satellite laser ranging (SLR) has proven avery efficient method for contributingto the tracking of altimetric satellites anddetermining accurately their orbitalthough hampered by the non-worldwide coverageand the meteorologicalconditions. Indeed, in some cases it is the onlymethod available to determinethe satellite orbit (e.g., the orbits of the ERS-1and Geosat-Follow-On missions).Moreover, any operational and non-weather dependenttechniques, like GPS,DORIS, PRARE, can exhibit systematic errors inpositioning and orbitography. Acomparison with SLR results allows to evidence sucherrors and vice versa. Fordoing that, two different approaches for determiningprecise orbits can beconsidered: one based on global orbit determination,the other on a short-arctechnique used to locally improve a global orbitdetermined by another trackingtechniques, such as DORIS or GPS. We can thusvalidate a global orbit andachieve orbit quality control to a level of2 to 3 centimeters at present and expectto achieve a level of 1 to 2 centimeters inthe near future. Errors induced bystation coordinates or by the gravity field(geographically correlated errors, forexample) can be estimated from SLR tracking data.Colocation experiments withdifferent techniques in the same geodetic siteplay also a key role to ensure preciserelationships between the geodetic referenceframes linked to each technique. Inparticular, the role of the SLR technique is tostrengthen the vertical component(including velocity) of the positioning, whichis crucial for altimetry missions.The role of SLR data in the modelling of the firstterms of the gravity field has finally to be emphasized,which is of primary importance in orbitography,whatever the tracking technique used.Another application of SLR technology is thesatellite altimeter calibration. Examples of past calibrationand future experiments are given, including theaccuracy we can expect from the Jason-1 and EnviSatspace oceanography missions.     

Ice Sheet And Satellite Altimetry

Since 1991, the altimeters of the ERS European Satellites allow the observation of 80% of the Antarctica ice sheet and the whole Greenland ice sheet: They thus offer for the first time a unique vision of polar ice caps. Indeed, surface topography is an essential data thanks to its capacity to highlight the physical processes which control the surface shape, or to test models. Moreover, the altimeter is also a radar which makes it possible to estimate the snow surface or subsurface characteristics, such as surface roughness induced by the strong katabatic wind or ice grain size. The polar ice caps may not be in a stationary state, they continue to respond to the climatic warming of the beginning of the Holocene, that is 18000 years ago, and possibly start to react to present climatic warming: the altimeter offers the unique means of estimating the variations of volume and thus the contribution of polar ice caps to present sea level change.     

Geoid and Sea Surface Topography Derived from ERS-1 Altimeter Data by the Adjoint Method

A method for splitting sea surface height measurements from satellite altimetry into geoid undulations and sea surface topography is presented. The method is based on a combination of the information from altimeter data and a dynamic sea surface height model. The model consists of geoid undulations and a quasi-geostrophic model for expressing the sea surface topography. The goal is the estimation of those values of the parameters of the sea surface height model that provide a least-squares fit of the model to the data. The solution is accomplished by the adjoint method which makes use of the adjoint model for computing the gradient of the cost function of the least-squares adjustment and an optimization algorithm for obtaining improved parameters. The estimation is applied to the North Atlantic. ERS-1 altimeter data of the year 1993 are used. The resulting geoid agrees well with the geoid of the EGM96 gravity model.     

Long-Term Stability Of Geoidal Geopotential FromTopex/Poseidon Satellite Altimetry 1993–1999

The TOPEX/POSEIDON (T/P) satellite altimeter data from January 1, 1993to October 24, 1999 (cycles 11–261) was used for investigating thelong-term variations in the geoidal geopotential W₀ and/orin the geopotential scale factor R₀ = GM/W₀ (GM is theadopted geocentric gravitational constant). The mean valuesdetermined for the whole period covered are: W₀ =(62 636 856.161 ± 0.002) m² s^-2, R₀ =(6 363 672.5448 ± 0.0002) m. The actual accuracy is limited bythe altimeter calibration error (2–3 cm) and it isestimated to be about ± 0.5 m² s^-2 (± 5 cm).The yearly variations of the above mean values are at the formalerror level. No long-term trend in W₀, representing the oceanvolume change, was found for the seven years period 1993–9 on thebasis of T/P altimeter (AVISO) data. No sea surface topography modelwas used in the solution. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.