An update on the capabilities of IMOS sub-facility 11e for satellite altimeter calibration and validation
Mr Jack Beardsley1,3, Dr Christopher Watson2, Dr Benoit Legresy3, Ms Andrea Hay2, Mr Boye Zhou2
1Integrated Marine Observing System (IMOS), Hobart, Australia, 2University of Tasmania, Hobart, Australia, 3CSIRO, Hobart, Australia
The IMOS sub-facility for satellite altimeter calibration and validation provides cycle-by-cycle estimates of absolute altimeter bias for the Jason-series, Sentinel-3A/3B and Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich missions. While specialising on operations in Bass Strait, the sub-facility also has a presence at sites in the Southern Ocean and the Great Barrier Reef where it uses an integrated geometric approach to altimeter validation. Our observations include those from a suite of in-situ sensors including moored oceanographic sensors, GNSS/INS equipped buoys, coastal + reef mounted tide gauges and continuously operating GNSS reference stations. Here we present an update detailing the capabilities of the sub-facility including the recent development of an array of 9 new GNSS/INS equipped buoys and ongoing use of 5-beam ADCP instruments for the determination of shallow water SSH, current and wave field information using a pressure inverted echo sounder concept (CWPIES). Together, advances in our in-situ instrumentation seek to address an improved determination (and interpretation) of along-track SSH (and SSH gradient) for the benefit of validating fully SAR capable altimetry (Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich) and swath-based interferometric altimetry (SWOT). We present an overview of our observational platforms with a focus on highlighting our capability to accurately determine sea surface height (SSH), sea surface slope, current, wave and tropospheric wet path delay at multiple point locations across regions of interest.
Biography:
Jack Beardsley works for the CSIRO Coastal Environmental Modelling Team in Hobart, Tasmania, with a focus on data visualisation, ocean acoustics and operational deployment of ocean modelling systems. He also manages and undertakes the field operations for IMOS’s satellite altimeter calibration and validation sub-facility.
