Validation of Jason and Envisat Altimeter Dual Frequency Rain Flags

New rain flags based on the dual frequency capabilities of the new Jason Poseidon-2 and Envisat RA2 altimeters have been tested, developed and adopted for the operational processing of the altimeter data. Their validation conducted during the calibration/validation phases of the satellites is presented here. The Jason flag is validated by comparison with the TOPEX one, using the Tandem mission. The results show a very good agreement between the two sensors and the two rain flags The Envisat flag is validated by comparison with both Jason and TOPEX using global and collocated data sets. The results show similar performances for the three sensors. The f relations estimated during the calibration-validation period and presented here have been given to the altimeter ground processing facilities for operational use.     

Evidence That Sea State Bias is Different for Ascending and Descending Tracks

Jason-1 and TOPEX/Poseidon (T/P) measured sea-surface heights (SSHs) are compared for five regions during the verification tandem phase. The five regions are of similar latitude and spatial extent and include the Gulf of Mexico, Arabian Sea, Bay of Bengal, and locations in the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans away from land. In all five regions, a bias, defined as Jason SSH—TOPEX-B SSH, exists that is different for ascending and descending tracks. For example, in the Gulf of Mexico the bias for ascending tracks was ?0.13 cm and the bias for descending tracks was 2.19 cm. In the Arabian Sea the bias for ascending tracks was ?2.45 cm and the bias for descending tracks was ?1.31 cm. The bias was found to depend on track orientation and significant wave height (SWH), indicating an error in the sea state bias (SSB) model for one or both altimeters. The bias in all five regions can be significantly reduced by calculating separate corrections for ascending and descending tracks in each region as a function of SWH. The correction is calculated by fitting a second-order polynomial to the bias as a function of SWH separately for ascending and descending tracks. An additional constraint is required to properly apply the correction, and we chose to minimize the sum of the TOPEX-B and Jason-1 root-mean-square (rms) crossover differences to be consistent with present SSB models. Application of this constraint shows that the correction, though consistent within each region, is different for each region and that each satellite contributes to the bias. One potential source that may account for a portion of the difference in bias is the leakage in the wave forms in TOPEX-B due to differing altitude rates for ascending and descending tracks. Global SSB models could be improved by separating the tracks into ascenders and descenders and calculating a separate SSB model for each track.     

Using Kolmogorov-Smirnov Statistics to Compare Geostrophic Velocities Measured by the Jason,TOPEX, and Poseidon Altimeters

The Kolmogorov-Smirnov (K-S) test is used to compare probability density functions (PDFs) of geostrophic velocities measured by the TOPEX, Poseidon, and Jason altimeters. Velocity PDFs are computed in 2.5° by 2.5° boxes for regions equatorward of 60° latitude. Although velocities measured by the TOPEX and Jason altimeters can differ, on the basis of the K-S test the velocities are statistically equivalent during the ～200 day period when the satellites followed the same orbit. Full records from TOPEX, Poseidon, and Jason show less agreement, which can be attributed to temporal variability in ocean surface velocities and differing levels of measurement noise.     

地震反演技术在煤田勘探中的应用探讨

煤炭企业对地质安全保障的期望越来越高,特别是对查清煤层赋存形态、构造、煤层厚度、煤层顶底板条件、岩浆岩侵蚀范围等方面的要求已远超规范。以岩心、测井为约束条件的波阻抗反演,可有效提高目标地质体的预测精度。Jason反演所导出的结果是一宽频带的反射系数序列和宽频带的波阻抗数据,同时加入了低频分量,使反演结果能正确地反映地层变化规律。实例表明,在波阻抗剖面上,不仅可以预测出煤层厚度的变化趋势,而且可以反映煤层夹矸及围岩的变化规律及煤层受岩浆岩侵蚀的范围。     

Poseidon-2 Radar Altimeter Design and Results of In-Flight Performances

Poseidon-2 is the dual frequency, solid-state radar altimeter embarked on the CNES/NASA oceanographic satellite Jason-1. This article gives a brief summary of the instrument design and some in-flight performances. Flight results have confirmed the very good results of the altimeter transfer function, which is very stable, and that the range noise at instrument level is less than 2 cm for a Significant Wave Height of 2 m.     

Calibration of TOPEX/Poseidon and Jason Altimeter Data to Construct a Continuous Record of Mean Sea Level Change

Jason, the successor to the TOPEX/POSEIDON (T/P) mission, has been designed to continue seamlessly the decade-long altimetric sea level record initiated by T/P. Intersatellite calibration has determined the relative bias to an accuracy of 1.6 mm rms. Tide gauge calibration of the T/P record during its original mission shows a drift of -0.1 ± 0.4 mm/year. The tide gauge calibration of 20 months of nominal Jason data indicates a drift of -5.7 ± 1.0 mm/year, which may be attributable to errors in the orbit ephemeris and the Jason Microwave Radiometer. The analysis of T/P and Jason altimeter data over the past decade has resulted in a determination of global mean sea level change of +2.8 ± 0.4 mm/year.     

Sea State and Rain: A Second Take on Dual-Frequency Altimetry

TOPEX and Jason were the first two dual-frequency altimeters in space, with both operating at K_u- and C-band. Thus, each gives two measurements of the normalized backscatter, σ⁰, (from which wind speed is calculated) and two estimates of wave height. Departures from a well-defined relationship between the K_u- and C-band σ⁰ values give an indication of rain. This study investigates differences between the two instruments using data from Jason's verification phase. Jason's K_u-band estimates of wave height are ∼1.8% less than TOPEX's, whereas its σ⁰ values are higher. When these effects have been removed the root mean square (rms) mismatch between TOPEX and Jason's K_u-band observations is close to that for TOPEX's observations at its two frequencies, and the changes in σ⁰ with varying wave height conditions are the same for the two altimeters. Rain flagging and quantitative estimates of rain rate are both based on the atmospheric attenuation derived from the σ⁰ measurements at the two frequencies. The attenuation estimates of TOPEX and Jason agree very well, and a threshold of-0.5 dB is effective at removing the majority of spurious data records from the Jason GDRs. In the high σ⁰ regime, anomalous data can be caused by processes other than rain. Consequently, for these low wind conditions, neither can reliable rain detection be based on altimetry alone, nor can a generic rain flag be expected to remove all suspect data.     

Jason反演技术在天然气水合物速度分析中的应用

本文采用Jason反演技术对南海北部陆坡A测线纵波速度进行计算，结合BSR、振幅空白带以及波形极性反转等多种水合物赋存信息的分析，对水合物成矿带的速度特征进行了综合研究，结果表明：低速背景中的高速异常，是天然气水合物赋存的重要特征；高速异常体一般呈平行于海底的带状分布；在高速异常的内部，速度也是不断变化的。一般在异常体的中心速度最高，由中心到边缘速度逐渐降低，反映在水合物矿带内部，水合物饱和度由矿体中心向边缘逐渐降低的特征。本文的研究成果进一步表明高精度速度分析不仅可以帮助寻找水合物矿点，还可以进一步判定水合物的富集层位。     

Validation of Jason and Envisat Altimeter Dual Frequency Rain Flags

New rain flags based on the dual frequency capabilities of the new Jason Poseidon-2 and Envisat RA2 altimeters have been tested, developed and adopted for the operational processing of the altimeter data. Their validation conducted during the calibration/validation phases of the satellites is presented here. The Jason flag is validated by comparison with the TOPEX one, using the Tandem mission. The results show a very good agreement between the two sensors and the two rain flags The Envisat flag is validated by comparison with both Jason and TOPEX using global and collocated data sets. The results show similar performances for the three sensors. The f relations estimated during the calibration-validation period and presented here have been given to the altimeter ground processing facilities for operational use.     

Comparison of Sea Surface Heights Derived from Satellite Altimetry and from Ocean Bottom Pressure Gauges: The SW Pacific MOTEVAS Project

A bottom pressure gauge (BPG) was installed in proximity (3.7 km at closest approach) of Jason-1 and formerly TOPEX/Poseidon (T/P) ground track No. 238 at the Wusi site, located ～ 10 km offshore off the west coast of Santo Island, Vanuatu, Southwest (SW) Pacific. Sea level variations are inferred from the bottom pressure, seawater temperature, and salinity, corrected for the measured surface atmospheric pressure. The expansion of the water column (steric increase in sea surface height, SSH) due to temperature and salinity changes is approximated by the equation of state. We compare time series of SSH derived from T/P Side B altimeter Geophysical Data Records (GDR) and Jason-1 Interim Geophysical Data Records (IGDR), with the gauge-inferred sea level variations. Since altimeter SSH is a geocentric measurement, whereas the gauge-inferred observation is a relative sea level measurement, SSH comparison is conducted with the means of both series removed in this study. In addition, high-rate (1-Hz) bottom pressure implied wave heights (H _1/3 ) are compared with the significant wave height (SWH) measured by Jason-1. Noticeable discrepancy is found in this comparison for high waves, however the differences do not contribute significantly to the difference in sea level variations observed between the altimeter and the pressure gauge. In situ atmospheric pressure measurements are also used to verify the inverse barometer (IB) and the dry troposphere corrections (DTC) used in the Jason IGDR. We observe a bias between the IGDR corrections and those derived from the local sensors. Standard deviations of the sea level differences between T/P and BPG is 52 mm and is 48 mm between Jason and BPG, indicating that both altimeters have similar performance at the Wusi site and that it is feasible to conduct long-term monitoring of altimetry at such a site.