Abstract The pioneering satellite radar altimeter aboard SKYLAB has provided a wealth of information about ocean surface topography for both the oceanographic and geodetic communities. This report describes typical satellite altimetry concepts and discusses the parameters measured, geometry utilized, and techniques employed to generate ocean geoid estimates. The standard deviation of the noise on the altitude measurements is shown to range from one to three meters when the altimeter antenna is nadir aligned. The altimeter is shown to sense short wavelength ocean surface features which are not included in present conventional global geoids. An estimate of a local geoid in the Atlantic, using only altimeter data, is presented. Finally, results demonstrate that the SKYLAB radar altimeter system capability is less than 10 m RMS.
Satellite altimetry applied to marine geoid determination
Acta Astronautica ; 3 , 5-6 ; 459-469
1975-11-18
11 pages
Aufsatz (Zeitschrift)
Elektronische Ressource
Englisch