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Radar Altimetry: Past, Present and Future

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Coastal Altimetry

Abstract

This chapter describes the radar altimetry principle and relates the radar altimetry missions since the first demonstration mission, Skylab in 1975, to the most recently planned mission, Sentinel-3, extending to a proposed revolutionary two-dimensional topography mission, SWOT. A historical recall and a description of each mission are provided, recalling their achievements with a focus on precursor applications of radar altimetry to coastal zones.

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Abbreviations

AATSR:

Advanced Along-Track Scanning Radiometer

ALBICOCCA:

ALtimeter-Based Investigations in COrsica, Capraia and Contiguous Areas

ALTICORE:

Value added satellite ALTImetry for COastal REgions

ARGOS:

or “A-DCS” Advanced data collection system - data collection and location system (France) on NOAA operational satellites

Ceos:

Committee for Earth Observation Satellites

CFRP:

Carbon Fibre Reinforced Plastic

CNES:

Centre National d’Études Spatiales (National Centre of Space Studies)

CNSA:

China National Space Administration

COASTALT:

ESA development of COASTal ALTimetry

DORIS:

Détermination d’Orbite et Radiopositionement Integré par Satellite

DUACS:

Data Unification and Altimeter Combination System

EC:

European Commission

EP-90:

Russian earth reference frame

ERS-1/2:

European Remote Sensing Satellite

ESA:

European Space Agency

ESOC:

European Space Operation Centre, Darmstadt

ESRIN:

European Space Research INstitute, Rome

EUMETSAT:

European Meteorological Satellite Agency

GFO:

Geosat Follow-On – geodesy satellite (US Navy)

GMES:

European initiative on Global Monitoring for Environment and Security

GNSS:

Global Navigation Satellite Systems

GOCE:

Gravity and Ocean Circulation Explorer (ESA)

GPS:

Global Positioning System

GRACE:

Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment

GSE:

ESA GMES service element

HY-2:

HaiYang (for Ocean in Chinese) satellite mission

INTAS:

International Association for the promotion of co-operation with scientists from the New Independent States of the former Soviet Union

ISRO:

Indian Space Research Organization

JGR:

Journal of Geophysical Research

KaRIN:

Ka-band Radar INterferometer (on SWOT)

LEO:

Low Earth Orbit

LMCS:

Land Monitoring Core Service LEO

LTDN:

Local Time on Descending Node

MCS:

EU Marine Core Service

MERIS:

MEdium Resolution Imaging Spectrometer

MWR:

MicroWave Radiometer

NASA:

National Aeronautics and Space Administration

NOAA:

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

NSOAS:

National Satellite Ocean Application Service

PISTACH:

CNES Development of “Prototype Innovant de Système de Traitement pour les Applications Côtières et l’Hydrologie”

PSLV:

Indian Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle

RA-2:

Radar Altimeter 2nd generation on Envisat

SAMOSA:

ESA development of SAR altimetry mode studies and applications over ocean, coastal zones and inland water

SAR:

Synthetic Aperture Radar

SARAL:

Satellite with ARgos and ALtika

SIRAL:

SAR/Interferometric Radar ALtimeter

SPOT:

Satellite Pour l’Observation de la Terre (optical imaging)

SRAL:

SAR Radar ALtimeter

SRTM:

Shuttle Radar Topography Mission

SSH:

Sea Surface Height

SWH:

Significant Wave Height

SWOT:

Surface Water Ocean Topography mission

WGS84:

World Geodetic System 1984

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Acknowledgments

This chapter holds information communicated to me by a number of colleagues, over the years, in particular of the older generation, who were in fact the pioneers of the radar altimetry adventure, for whom I have a great admiration. They are too numerous to be all cited here, but they will recognize themselves and receive all my gratitude. In particular I thank and dedicate this chapter to my long time colleague and friend, Yves Ménard, who passed away in 2008, with whom I had so much pleasure and satisfaction to organize the “15 Years of Progress in Radar Altimetry” Symposium in Venice in 2006. I recall our precursor conversations about how to tackle the coastal zone with altimetry. Discussions with Yves were always a great inspiration. Yves would be proud of the results achieved in the past 2 years. Yves remains always present in my memory.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Directorate of Earth Observation Programmes, Earth Observation Science, Applications and Future Technologies Department, European Space Agency – ESRIN, Via Galileo Galilei, Frascati (Rome), Italy

    J. Benveniste

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  1. J. Benveniste
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Correspondence to J. Benveniste .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Ist. Biofisica, CNR Pisa, Via G. Moruzzi 1, Pisa, 56124, Italy

    Stefano Vignudelli

  2. , P.P. Shirshov Institute of Oceanology, Russian Academy of Sciences, Nakhimovsky Pr. 36, Moscow, 117997, Russian Federation

    Andrey G. Kostianoy

  3. Lab. Satellite Oceanography, Ocean Observing & Climate Res. Group, National Oceanography Centre, European Way, Southampton, SO14 3ZH, United Kingdom

    Paolo Cipollini

  4. Directorate of Earth Observation Program, European Space Agency /ESRIN, Via Galileo Galilei, Frascati (Roma), 00044, Italy

    Jérôme Benveniste

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Benveniste, J. (2011). Radar Altimetry: Past, Present and Future. In: Vignudelli, S., Kostianoy, A., Cipollini, P., Benveniste, J. (eds) Coastal Altimetry. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-12796-0_1

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