DocumentCode :
1415759
Title :
Modeling Envisat RA-2 Waveforms in the Coastal Zone: Case Study of Calm Water Contamination
Author :
Gómez-Enri, Jesús ; Vignudelli, Stefano ; Quartly, Graham D. ; Gommenginger, Christine P. ; Cipollini, Paolo ; Challenor, Peter G. ; Benveniste, Jérôme
Author_Institution :
Univ. of Cadiz, Puerto Real, Spain
Volume :
7
Issue :
3
fYear :
2010
fDate :
7/1/2010 12:00:00 AM
Firstpage :
474
Lastpage :
478
Abstract :
Radar altimeters have so far had limited use in the coastal zone, the area with most societal impact. This is due to both lack of, or insufficient accuracy in the necessary corrections, and more complicated altimeter signals. This letter examines waveform data from the Envisat RA-2 as it passes regularly over Pianosa (a 10-km2 island in the northwestern Mediterranean). Forty-six repeat passes were analyzed, with most showing a reduction in signal upon passing over the island, with weak early returns corresponding to the reflections from land. Intriguingly, one third of cases showed an anomalously bright hyperbolic feature. This feature may be due to extremely calm waters in the Golfo della Botte (northern side of the island), but the cause of its intermittency is not clear. The modeling of waveforms in such a complex land/sea environment demonstrates the potential for sea surface height retrievals much closer to the coast than is achieved by routine processing. The long-term development of altimetric records in the coastal zone will not only improve the calibration of altimetric data with coastal tide gauges but also greatly enhance the study of storm surges and other coastal phenomena.
Keywords :
calibration; digital elevation models; marine pollution; oceanographic regions; radar altimetry; storms; tides; Envisat RA-2 waveforms; Golfo della Botte; Pianosa; altimeter signals; altimetric records; anomalously bright hyperbolic feature; calibration; calm water contamination; coastal altimetry; coastal tide gauges; coastal zone; digital elevation model; northwestern Mediterranean; radar altimeters; sea surface height retrievals; storm surges; waveform analysis; waveform data; Coastal altimetry; Envisat RA-2; digital elevation model (DEM); northwestern Mediterranean; waveform analysis;
fLanguage :
English
Journal_Title :
Geoscience and Remote Sensing Letters, IEEE
Publisher :
ieee
ISSN :
1545-598X
Type :
jour
DOI :
10.1109/LGRS.2009.2039193
Filename :
5411769
Link To Document :
بازگشت