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Satellite Altimetry: Sailing Closer to the Coast

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Remote Sensing of the Changing Oceans

Abstract

In this chapter we review the history of coastal altimetry. We illustrate the challenges associated with data processing, improvement and exploitation, including: (1) what altimeter data are available today and what are the issues in coastal zones; (2) what efforts are underway to fill the gaps in coastal altimetry and what still needs to be done; (3) how coastal altimetry can be used in support of coastal oceanography. After nearly two decades of data collection near coasts, the planned reprocessing of the multi-mission global record now appears to be necessary for full exploitation of satellite altimetry for coastal oceanography. We will focus on the European research efforts, in particular the main outcomes of the COASTALT project, by showcasing improved corrections (with special emphasis on the wet tropospheric effect), waveform analysis and novel retracking techniques, as well as the structure of the new processor for Envisat RA-2 coastal records. This is of interest to a broad range of data integrators who will be able to use the improved altimeter data in their operational products or services.

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Acknowledgments

This chapter has been done in the framework of the COASTALT Project (N. 20698/07/I-LG) funded by the European Space Agency.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche, Pisa, Italy

    Stefano Vignudelli

  2. Ocean Observing and Climate, National Oceanography Centre, Southampton, UK

    Paolo Cipollini, Christine Gommenginger, Scott Gleason & Helen M. Snaith

  3. Hidromod, Lisbon, Portugal

    Henrique Coelho

  4. Faculdade de Ciências, Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal

    M. Joana Fernandes & Clara Lázaro

  5. Instituto Politécnico do Porto, Instituto Superior de Engenharia, Porto, Portugal

    Alexandra L. Nunes

  6. Universidad de Cádiz, Cádiz, Spain

    Jesus Gómez-Enri

  7. Starlab Barcelona S.L., Barcelona, Spain

    Cristina Martin-Puig

  8. Proudman Oceanographic Laboratory, Liverpool, UK

    Philip Woodworth

  9. Serco/ESRIN, Frascati, Italy

    Salvatore Dinardo

  10. European Space Agency/ESRIN, Frascati, Italy

    Jérôme Benveniste

Authors
  1. Stefano Vignudelli
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  2. Paolo Cipollini
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  3. Christine Gommenginger
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  4. Scott Gleason
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  5. Helen M. Snaith
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  6. Henrique Coelho
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  7. M. Joana Fernandes
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  8. Clara Lázaro
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  9. Alexandra L. Nunes
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  10. Jesus Gómez-Enri
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  11. Cristina Martin-Puig
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  12. Philip Woodworth
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  13. Salvatore Dinardo
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  14. Jérôme Benveniste
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Stefano Vignudelli .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. , Key Laboratory of Tropical Marine Enviro, South China Sea Institute of Oceanology,, No.164 West Xingang Road, Guangzhou, 510301, China, People's Republic

    DanLing Tang

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Vignudelli, S. et al. (2011). Satellite Altimetry: Sailing Closer to the Coast. In: Tang, D. (eds) Remote Sensing of the Changing Oceans. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-16541-2_11

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