The Effects of Altimeter Sampling Characteristics: Some Geosat Examples
Abstract
Altimetric satellites have characteristic sampling patterns in both space and time. This paper looks at the distortions of oceanographic and atmospheric signals as seen in geosat altimeter data. Because of the pattern of ground tracks lain down by Geosat, measurements of oceanographic and atmospheric phenomena can be distorted spatially as well as temporally. As a result, phenomena measured by altimetric measurements can appear as propagating waves with both wavelength and wavenumber different from the original phenomena. These changes, if not understood, can result in misinterpretation of results from altimeter data. Also, in some parts of the world, distorted signals satisfy the dispersion relation of other oceanographic waves, or two phenomena can both have the same distorted dispersion relations. The use of multiple satellites to resolve these problems will be discussed in a follow-on paper.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Apr 06, 1993
- Accession Number
- ADA275225
Entities
People
- George Born
- Michael E. Parke
Organizations
- United States Naval Research Laboratory