Abstract's details
Sentinel-6 products status
CoAuthors
Event: 2023 Ocean Surface Topography Science Team Meeting
Session: Sentinel-6 Validation Team (S6VT) Meeting
Presentation type: Type Oral
Contribution: PDF file
Abstract:
Since the launch of Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich on 21 November 2020, the products coming from the operational ground segment have been carefully monitored to ensure the best performance. Although the ground segment was quite ready from the onset, it was clear in advance that we would need to make modifications during commissioning and then reprocess all data to ensure continuity. The first of these reprocessing activities took place in the Spring of 2022, resulting in their release in July 2022.
But the status of the processors was not intended to be frozen from thence on. Three major improvements have been incorporated since in what is now Baseline F08:
• Improvement of coastal wet tropospheric correction by including the 3 high-frequency channels for HRMR in its retrieval algorithm;
• Reducing the influence of temperature variations around-the-orbit on altimeter retrievals by using ECHO CAL for the calibration of the altimeter range and power;
• Improving the stability of the long-term global altimetric sea level measurements through the introduction of a novel numerical algorithm for the retracking of the low-resolution wave forms.
To ensure that the data for the whole mission would benefit from these enhancements, another reprocessing was conducted during Spring 2023, with the data being released in July 2023. Several presentations during this OSTST will focus on the validation of this Baseline F08 now available for the full mission.
Still, a couple of further improvements are being made between now and the end of the year:
• Bug fix in the computation of SWH at very low sea states;
• Introduction of a novel numerical retracking algorithm for the high-resolution waveforms;
• Correction of the HR SWH for vertical wave motion;
• Addition of MFWAM model fields for comparision.
Because of these upcoming enhancements, another full-mission reprocessing is planned for the first half of 2024, which will then also include a full harmonisation of the Side A and Side B data.
But the status of the processors was not intended to be frozen from thence on. Three major improvements have been incorporated since in what is now Baseline F08:
• Improvement of coastal wet tropospheric correction by including the 3 high-frequency channels for HRMR in its retrieval algorithm;
• Reducing the influence of temperature variations around-the-orbit on altimeter retrievals by using ECHO CAL for the calibration of the altimeter range and power;
• Improving the stability of the long-term global altimetric sea level measurements through the introduction of a novel numerical algorithm for the retracking of the low-resolution wave forms.
To ensure that the data for the whole mission would benefit from these enhancements, another reprocessing was conducted during Spring 2023, with the data being released in July 2023. Several presentations during this OSTST will focus on the validation of this Baseline F08 now available for the full mission.
Still, a couple of further improvements are being made between now and the end of the year:
• Bug fix in the computation of SWH at very low sea states;
• Introduction of a novel numerical retracking algorithm for the high-resolution waveforms;
• Correction of the HR SWH for vertical wave motion;
• Addition of MFWAM model fields for comparision.
Because of these upcoming enhancements, another full-mission reprocessing is planned for the first half of 2024, which will then also include a full harmonisation of the Side A and Side B data.