CoAuthors

Brian Beckley (Goddard Space Flight Center, USA); Eric Leuliette (NOAA, USA); Dallas Masters (University of Colorado, USA); Mark Merrifield (University of Hawaii, USA); R. Steven Nerem (University of Colorado, USA); Richard Ray (Goddard Space Flight Center, USA); Philip Thompson (University of Hawaii, USA)

Comparing altimeter data to tide gauges has a long history. This group of authors is perhaps unique, though, in that we (in various combinations) have been doing this for over 25 years. Several groups have done such analyses in the past, several are presently doing them, and we hope that more options will be developed in the future. We believe that having multiple groups working independently is a very healthy and positive thing. That said, though, we also worry about how to compare results from different groups. Are we comparing apples and oranges, or mangos and papayas?

In this presentation we will attempt to lay out a framework that any group doing such an analysis should report on. We are not proposing a hard set of rules, but rather, the beginning of a discussion to set some rules. For example, how are tide gauge stations selected and what checks are in place to assure independence? How are the results used, meaning do we correct the altimeter data using the tide gauge analyses? What terms are included in the error analysis? The last is, in our opinion, a major issue.