The accuracy and applications of satellite altimetry

Abstract

Summary The recently launched TOPEX/POSEIDON altimeter mission is achieving an unprecedented accuracy in the measurement of the absolute sea-level, demonstrating that satellite radar altimetry has evolved into one of the fundamental instruments for providing synoptic observations of the global oceans with a temporal sampling of a few days to a month. This paper assesses the current estimated accuracy of measurements using the available satellite radar altimeter systems in observing the absolute sea-level. The accuracy of sea-level measurements depends on the ability to compute accurate orbits of the altimetric satellites, the fidelity of the terrestrial reference system (TRF), and the knowledge of instrument biases of the altimeter instruments. In this paper, some applications of satellite altimetry to contemporary problems in marine geodesy, oceanography, an global change studies are discussed. Major advances for many of these problems are feasible with the abundance of satellite altimetry missions within this decade. The launch of ERS-1 and TOPEX/POSEIDON has initiated a decade of high-accuracy measurements of the absolute sea-level from satellite altimetry which holds potential for enhancing our knowledge of dynamics of the global ocean, and its influence on global climate changes.