Abstract's details
Using SARAL/AltiKa to Improve Ka-band Altimeter Measurements for Coastal Zones, Hydrology and Ice: Status of the PEACHI Project
CoAuthors
Event: 2016 Ocean Surface Topography Science Team Meeting
Session: Instrument Processing: Measurement and retracking (SAR and LRM)
Presentation type: Type Poster
Contribution: not provided
Abstract:
With the objective to ensure the complementarity but also the continuity with Level-2 products provided in the open ocean, the PEACHI (Prototype for Expertise on Altimetry for Coastal, Hydrology and Ice) project has been set up as an initiative of the French space agency, CNES. In the framework of this project, the PEACHI prototype is designed to process and fine tune SARAL/AltiKa enhanced algorithms dedicated to the assessment of Ka-band parameters, from the instrument processing to geophysical corrections. As a result, end users are routinely provided with the latest available altimeter corrections for scientific applications.
Since the last update of SARAL/AltiKa processing software and the dissemination of the operational Level-2 products, the PEACHI prototype provides some new or improved algorithms to better observe the open ocean and achieve SARAL secondary objectives on the study of coastal dynamics, inland waters, polar oceans, or continental and sea ice. The purpose of this work is to provide a global status of the PEACHI project and the reprocessing performed in 2016. We focus on a handful of key algorithm improvements with regard to the operational GDR (Geophysical Data Record) products: new waveform retrackers improving performances over continental and sea ice, enhanced atmospheric attenuation, better mean sea surfaces, new digital elevation models, updated editing process over rain and bloom areas or sea ice regions.
We would like to foster all current and prospective users to provide us with independent assessment and feedback in order to determine which parameters should be transferred into the classical GDR, or applied to other missions. Feedback would also be appreciated to define possible innovative algorithms and studies that should be added to future PEACHI versions, keeping in mind the project goal : deliver a long, rich and consistent time series of demonstrative algorithms.
Since the last update of SARAL/AltiKa processing software and the dissemination of the operational Level-2 products, the PEACHI prototype provides some new or improved algorithms to better observe the open ocean and achieve SARAL secondary objectives on the study of coastal dynamics, inland waters, polar oceans, or continental and sea ice. The purpose of this work is to provide a global status of the PEACHI project and the reprocessing performed in 2016. We focus on a handful of key algorithm improvements with regard to the operational GDR (Geophysical Data Record) products: new waveform retrackers improving performances over continental and sea ice, enhanced atmospheric attenuation, better mean sea surfaces, new digital elevation models, updated editing process over rain and bloom areas or sea ice regions.
We would like to foster all current and prospective users to provide us with independent assessment and feedback in order to determine which parameters should be transferred into the classical GDR, or applied to other missions. Feedback would also be appreciated to define possible innovative algorithms and studies that should be added to future PEACHI versions, keeping in mind the project goal : deliver a long, rich and consistent time series of demonstrative algorithms.