Poseidon Radar Altimeter Flight Model Design and Tests Results

Raizonville, P.; Zanifé, O. Z.; Jaulhac, Y.; Richard, Jonathan T.

doi:10.1109/igarss.1991.579589

Cited by 10 publications

(4 citation statements)

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“…The satellite is the first to carry two radar altimeters: the NASA radar altimeter (NRA) operating at 13.6 and 5.3 GHz [Zieger et al, 1991], and the solid-state altimeter (SSALT) operating at 13.65 GHz [Raizonville et al, 1991]. TOPEX/POSEIDON is in an orbit at an altitude of --•1334 km with global coverage extendi•ng to _66 ø latitude.…”

Section: The Missionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Contribution of the TOPEX NASA Radar Altimeter to the global monitoring of large rivers and wetlands

Birkett¹

1998

Water Resources Research

299

228

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Abstract. For certain major rivers and wetlands, hydrological information can often be difficult to obtain due to the inaccessibility of the region, the sparse distribution of gauge stations, or the slow dissemination of data. Satellite radar altimeters have the potential to monitor height variations over inland waters. Here, it is shown that the NASA radar altimeter (NRA), currently operating on board the TOPEX/POSEIDON satellite, can successfully track both large wetlands and rivers of > 1 km width. The coverage, performance, and limitations of the NRA altimeter are discussed with relevance to these regions, and the merits of utilizing the geophysical data records (GDRs) and the sensor data records (SDRs) are explored. Time series of relative water level variations, for the first -3.7 years of the mission, have been obtained for a selection of the world's largest rivers, and for major wetlands of international importance. Validation shows the results can be accurate to -11 cm rms, offering the potential to observe these regions as part of a long-term hydrological monitor!ng program. IntroductionMajor river systems are important topics of research covering a wide range of applications such as transport, flood hazards, water and food resource management, studies of the hydrological cycle, and addressing the impacts of land use and climate change [Leopoldo et al., 1985]. Wetlands (swamps, marshes, floodplains, internal deltas, etc.) cover 6% of the world's land surface. The extent of inundated area and depth of wetland water varies seasonally and annually according to inflow, precipitation, and evaporation rates. As their hydraulic response is relatively slow, they are good proxy indicators of local climate, but they are also important with regard to local environmental and economic concerns, being both a source of food and fresh water [Maltby, 1986].Although most major North American and European rivers are frequently (daily) and accurately (better than 1 cm at the point of measurement) monitored (with water level variations being converted to discharge rates and the data subsequently archived), water levels for many other regions can be difficult to obtain due to the inaccessibility of the region, the sparse distribution of gauge stations, or the slow dissemination of data. Although primarily aimed at ocean applications, satellite radar altimetry has demonstrated a potential to provide both lake and river/wetland height data. A radar altimeter emits a series of microwave pulses toward the surface, and by noting the two-way time delay between pulse emission and echo reception, estimates the altimetric range, that is, the distance between the antenna and the surface (see Rapley [1990] for full details on radar altimetry). In To summarize, some degree of success has been achieved in deriving altimetric water levels over rivers and wetlands. The limitations have been poor knowledge of the satellite orbit and instrumental inefficiencies in data gathering (variable according to each altimeter). As the radar echoes fr...

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Section: The Missionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Contribution of the TOPEX NASA Radar Altimeter to the global monitoring of large rivers and wetlands

Birkett¹

1998

Water Resources Research

299

228

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“…TOPEX/POSEIDON is a joint NASA/Centre National d'Etudes Spatiales (CNES) mission to increase the understanding of global ocean dynmnics. The satellite is the first to carry two radar altimeters: the NASA radar altimeter (ALT) operating at 13.6 and 5.3 GHz [Zieger et al, 1991] and the prototype solid state altimeter (SSALT) operating at 13.65 GHz [Raizonville et al, 1991]. TOPEX/POSEIDON is in an orbit at an altitude of -1334 km, with global coverage extending to +66 ø latitude.…”

Section: The Topex/poseidon Mission and Data Setmentioning

confidence: 99%

The contribution of TOPEX/POSEIDON to the global monitoring of climatically sensitive lakes

Birkett¹

1995

J. Geophys. Res.

341

236

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Remote sensing and long‐term monitoring of closed and climatically sensitive open lakes can provide useful information for the study of climatic change. Satellite radar altimetry offers the advantages of day/night and all‐weather capability in the production of relative lake level changes on a global scale. A simple technique which derives relative lake level changes is described with specific relevance to the TOPEX/POSEIDON geophysical data record data set. An assessment of the coverage and global tracking performance of both the NASA radar altimeter and the solid state altimeter over these lakes is discussed, and results are presented for the first 1.75 years of the mission. Lake level time series were acquired for 12 closed lakes, six open lakes, and three reservoirs, providing information in many cases where ground gauge data are unobtainable or the lake is inaccessible. The results, accurate to ∼4 cm rms, mark the beginning of a very accurate lake level data set, showing that TOPEX/POSEIDON can successfully contribute to the long‐term global program.

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“…Launched by NASA on 7 December 2001, Jason-1 embarks the CNES radar altimeter Poseidon-2 together with other CNES and NASA instruments on the new French platform PROTEUS. Poseidon-2 inherits many characteristics from the experimental Poseidon-1 (Raizonville et al 1991) that has been successfully operating since mid 1992 onboard TOPEX. This new generation radar altimeter, provided in full redundancy, comprises high reliability components in order to achieve the 5-year expected lifetime.…”

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confidence: 98%

Poseidon-2 Radar Altimeter Design and Results of In-Flight Performances Special Issue: Jason-1 Calibration/Validation

et al. 2003

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Poseidon Radar Altimeter Flight Model Design and Tests Results

Cited by 10 publications

References 0 publications

Contribution of the TOPEX NASA Radar Altimeter to the global monitoring of large rivers and wetlands

Contribution of the TOPEX NASA Radar Altimeter to the global monitoring of large rivers and wetlands

The contribution of TOPEX/POSEIDON to the global monitoring of climatically sensitive lakes

Poseidon-2 Radar Altimeter Design and Results of In-Flight Performances Special Issue: Jason-1 Calibration/Validation

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