CoAuthors

Philip Callahan (Jet Propulsion Laboratory, United States); Jean-Damien Desjonqueres (Jet Propulsion Laboratory, United States); Bruce Haines (Jet Propulsion Laboratory, United States); Matthieu Talpe (Jet Propulsion Laboratory, United States); Joshua Willis (Jet Propulsion Laboratory, United States); Glenn Shirtliffe (Jet Propulsion Laboratory, United States); Nicolas Picot (Centre Nationale des Etudes Spatiales, France); Thierry Guinle (Centre Nationale des Etudes Spatiales, France); Helene Roinard (Collecte Localisation Satellites, France); Michael Ablain (Collecte Localisation Satellites, France)

We present results from the calibration and validation of reprocessed TOPEX Geophysical Data Records (GDRs). These products have been generated in 2018 through a collaborative effort between JPL and CNES. They adopt new approaches to retracking the TOPEX altimeter Ku- and C-band waveform data, the most recent ITRF2014-based precise orbit determination solutions from the Goddard Space Flight Center, a recent regeneration of the TOPEX Microwave Radiometer enhanced path delay product, sea state bias models that are consistent with the retracked altimeter data, and the most recent GDR-E-based standards for geophysical corrections.

We highlight differences between this reprocessed TOPEX data product and the original TOPEX GDR as well as the Merged GDR. The overall impact on accuracy is evaluated using internal metrics such as sea surface height crossover residuals. Consistency with the Jason-1 GDR-E data record is evaluated using comparisons during the tandem period when TOPEX/POSEIDON and Jason-1 were flying approximately one minute apart. We also show the overall impact of the reprocessing on the long-term stability of the TOPEX data record, including sea surface height and its measurement system components (e.g., altimeter range and radiometer wet troposphere correction), significant wave height, and backscatter coefficient (sigma0).