The Benefits of the Ka-Band as Evidenced from the SARAL/AltiKa Altimetric Mission: Scientific Applications
| Type | Article | ||||||||
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| Date | 2018-02 | ||||||||
| Language | English | ||||||||
| Author(s) | Verron Jacques1, Bonnefond Pascal2, Aouf Lofti3, Birol Florence4, Bhowmick Suchandra A.5, Calmant Stephane4, Conchy Taina6, Cretaux Jean-Francois4, Dibarboure Gerald7, Dubey A. K.5, Faugere Yannice8, Guerreiro Kevin4, Gupta P. K.5, Hamon Mathieu9, Jebri Fatma4, Kumar Raj5, Morrow Rosemary4, Pascual Ananda10, Pujol Marie-Isabelle8, Remy Elisabeth9, Remy Frederique4, Smith Walter H. F.11, Tournadre Jean12, Vergara Oscar 4, 8 |
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| Affiliation(s) | 1 : CNRS, IGE, F-38041 Grenoble, France. 2 : UPMC Univ Paris 06, PSL Res Univ, Sorbonne Univ, SYRTE,Observ Paris,CNRS,LNE, F-75014 Paris, France. 3 : Meteo France, F-31057 Toulouse, France. 4 : LEGOS, F-31400 Toulouse, France. 5 : Space Applicat Ctr ISRO, Ahmadabad 380015, Gujarat, India. 6 : Univ Estado Amazonas, BR-69020 Manaus, Amazonas, Brazil. 7 : CNES, F-31400 Toulouse, France. 8 : CLS, F-31520 Ramonville St Agne, France. 9 : Mercator Ocean, F-31520 Ramonville St Agne, France. 10 : Inst Mediterrani Estudis Avancats IMEDEA CSIC UIB, Esporles 07190, Illes Balears, Spain. 11 : NOAA, Lab Satellite Altimetry, College Pk, MD 20740 USA. 12 : LOPS, F-29280 Plouzane, France. |
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| Source | Remote Sensing (2072-4292) (Mdpi), 2018-02 , Vol. 10 , N. 2 , P. 163 (32p.) | ||||||||
| DOI | 10.3390/rs10020163 | ||||||||
| WOS© Times Cited | 35 | ||||||||
| Note | This article belongs to the Special Issue Satellite Altimetry for Earth Sciences | ||||||||
| Keyword(s) | altimetry, Ka-band, oceanography, hydrology, ice, geodesy | ||||||||
| Abstract | The India-France SARAL/AltiKa mission is the first Ka-band altimetric mission dedicated primarily to oceanography. The mission objectives were firstly the observation of the oceanic mesoscales but also global and regional sea level monitoring, including the coastal zone, data assimilation, and operational oceanography. SARAL/AltiKa proved also to be a great opportunity for inland waters applications, for observing ice sheet or icebergs, as well as for geodetic investigations. The mission ended its nominal phase after three years in orbit and began a new phase (drifting orbit) in July 2016. The objective of this paper is to highlight some of the most remarkable achievements of the SARAL/AltiKa mission in terms of scientific applications. Compared to the standard Ku-band altimetry measurements, the Ka-band provides substantial improvements in terms of spatial resolution and data accuracy. We show here that this leads to remarkable advances in terms of observation of the mesoscale and coastal ocean, waves, river water levels, ice sheets, icebergs, fine scale bathymetry features as well as for the many related applications. |
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