Satellite altimetry provides exceptional means for absolute and undisputable monitoring of changes in sea level and inland waters (rivers and lakes), over regional to global scales, with accuracy and with respect to the center of mass of the Earth. Altimetry system’s responses have to be continuously monitored for their quality, biases, errors, drifts, etc. with calibration. Absolute calibration of altimeters is achieved by external and independent to satellite facilities on the ground. This is the mainstay for a continuous, homogenous, and reliable monitoring of the earth and its oceans. This paper describes the development of the Permanent Facility for Altimetry Calibration in Gavdos/Crete, Greece, as of 2001 along with its infrastructure and instrumentation. Calibration results are presented for the reference missions of Jason-1, Jason-2, and Jason-3. Then, this work continues with the determination of relative calibrations with respect to reference missions for Sentinel-3A, HY-2A, and SARAL/AltiKa. Calibration results are also given for Jason-2 and Jason-3 altimeters using the transponder at the CDN1 Cal/Val site on the mountains of Crete, with simultaneous comparisons against sea-surface calibration and during their tandem mission. Finally, the paper presents procedures for estimating uncertainties for altimeter calibration to meet the Fiducial Reference Measurement standards.
Water vapor is one of the essential variables in monitoring the Earth’s climate. The Ocean and Land Color Instrument (OLCI) on-board the Copernicus Sentinel-3 missions measures the Integrated Water Vapor (IWV) column over land and ocean surfaces. Post-launch calibration and validation of satellite measurements constitutes a key process in the operational phase of Earth observation satellites. This work presents the external and independent validation of OLCI-A IWV product using the regional network of continuously operating Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) comprised 10 stations distributed over the island of Crete in the eastern Mediterranean. The Sentinel-3A/-3B OLCI imagery that captures in a single scene the entire area of Crete has been examined. For each OLCI image, the IWV value of cloud-free pixels containing the GNSS stations have been derived and compared against simultaneous GNSS-derived measurements. The absolute as well as the relative bias between OLCI-A and OLCI-B IWV measurements have been determined. There is a good agreement between OLCI and GNSS with a bias of −0.57 mm ± 2.90 mm for OLCI(A) and +2.42 ± 3.41 mm for OLCI(B). The results of this regional validation activity are compared against other studies and the regular validation carried out at the Sentinel-3 Mission Performance Center. This work concludes that the accuracy of the OLCI IWV products is within its design requirements. The potential synergy between Sentinel-2 and Sentinel-3 IWV products is also discussed.
This work presents the latest calibration results for the Copernicus Sentinel-3A and -3B and the Jason-3 radar altimeters as determined by the Permanent Facility for Altimetry Calibration (PFAC) in west Crete, Greece. Radar altimeters are used to provide operational measurements for sea surface height, significant wave height and wind speed over oceans. To maintain Fiducial Reference Measurement (FRM) status, the stability and quality of altimetry products need to be continuously monitored throughout the operational phase of each altimeter. External and independent calibration and validation facilities provide an objective assessment of the altimeter’s performance by comparing satellite observations with ground-truth and in-situ measurements and infrastructures. Three independent methods are employed in the PFAC: Range calibration using a transponder, sea-surface calibration relying upon sea-surface Cal/Val sites, and crossover analysis. Procedures to determine FRM uncertainties for Cal/Val results have been demonstrated for each calibration. Biases for Sentinel-3A Passes No. 14, 278 and 335, Sentinel-3B Passes No. 14, 71 and 335, as well as for Jason-3 Passes No. 18 and No. 109 are given. Diverse calibration results by various techniques, infrastructure and settings are presented. Finally, upgrades to the PFAC in support of the Copernicus Sentinel-6 ‘Michael Freilich’, due to launch in November 2020, are summarized.
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