Abstract's details
Mesoscale capability of along-track altimeter data in LRM & SARM
CoAuthors
Event: 2014 Ocean Surface Topography Science Team Meeting
Session: Science Results from Satellite Altimetry: Finer scale ocean processes (mesoscale and coastal)
Presentation type: Type Oral
Contribution: PDF file
Abstract:
Altimeter wavenumber spectra computed from along-track Sea Level Anomales (SLA) exhibit linear slope between large and small scales linked to the geostrophic turbulence and its energy cascades in the mesoscale band ( Le Traon et al. (2008) ). At small scales, altimeter measurements are affected by instrumental noise preventing the observation of small scales processes.
This paper determines the length scales of ocean dynamics following SQG theory reachable with along-track LRM and SARM 1hz altimeter data. It relies on a joint analysis of (1) the spectral slope in the mesoscale band and (2) the noise level observed for scales lower than 20km. Maps of mesoscale capability of the on-flight LRM altimeter missions (Jason-2, SARAL/Altika, Cryosat-2) are discussed both at global and regional scales. In some oceanic areas, where available, the Cryosat-2 SARM data are also analyzed and compared to the LRM measurements.
This paper determines the length scales of ocean dynamics following SQG theory reachable with along-track LRM and SARM 1hz altimeter data. It relies on a joint analysis of (1) the spectral slope in the mesoscale band and (2) the noise level observed for scales lower than 20km. Maps of mesoscale capability of the on-flight LRM altimeter missions (Jason-2, SARAL/Altika, Cryosat-2) are discussed both at global and regional scales. In some oceanic areas, where available, the Cryosat-2 SARM data are also analyzed and compared to the LRM measurements.