Abstract's details
Wet troposphere correction derived from water vapor climate data records
CoAuthors
Event: 2023 Ocean Surface Topography Science Team Meeting
Session: Instrument Processing: Propagation, Wind Speed and Sea State Bias
Presentation type: Type Oral
Contribution: PDF file
Abstract:
The wet troposphere correction (WTC) from the onboard microwave radiometers on-board the altimetry missions is one of the main sources of uncertainties in the estimate of the global mean sea level rise. Using highly stable water vapor climate data records based on measurements from SSM/I and SSMI/S meteorological space missions, we compute an alternative wet troposphere correction and its associated uncertainty.
Our results show the potential of these climate data records to improve the measurement of the sea level rise from altimetry. First, the uncertainty of the global mean sea level trends can be reduced using these climate data records. Second, the wet troposphere correction derived from water vapor climate data records allows to identify drifts in the WTC estimated from some of the microwave radiometer measurements. In particular, significant drifts have been detected over the first two years of Jason-2 (about 2 mm over 2009-2010) and over the first two years of Jason-3 (about 3 mm over 2016-2018) missions.
We therefore recommend the use of the water vapor climate data records for the validation of the wet troposphere correction of altimetry missions, supporting the need for regularly updated climate data records of water vapor.
Our results show the potential of these climate data records to improve the measurement of the sea level rise from altimetry. First, the uncertainty of the global mean sea level trends can be reduced using these climate data records. Second, the wet troposphere correction derived from water vapor climate data records allows to identify drifts in the WTC estimated from some of the microwave radiometer measurements. In particular, significant drifts have been detected over the first two years of Jason-2 (about 2 mm over 2009-2010) and over the first two years of Jason-3 (about 3 mm over 2016-2018) missions.
We therefore recommend the use of the water vapor climate data records for the validation of the wet troposphere correction of altimetry missions, supporting the need for regularly updated climate data records of water vapor.