Calibration compaigns of the HY-2A satellite altimeter significant wave height by a GNSS buoy

GNSS buoys are innovative ocean instruments, and can provide calibrations of the sea surface height and significant wave height (SWH) products of satellite altimeters. This paper investigated the principles of the wave retrieval by GNSS buoys, and proposed a method of calibration of altimeter SWH product by GNSS buoys. The error sources in the calibration procedure were analyzed. Ocean calibration campaigns were implemented to measure the SWH at the HY-2 altimeter nadir points, and acquired a SWH bias of +7.92±5.04 cm using four-parameters retracking algorithm. The SWH bias was +20.37±12.79 cm base on the HY-2 operational SWH products. The calibration campaigns showed that, GNSS buoys could serve for the satellite altimeter SWH calibration under low sea state condition, and the four-parameters retracking algorithm outperformed the conventional three-parameters retracking algorithm in accuracy and consistency, at least for SWH retrieving.