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Image of the month
2006
Jan. 2006: Merging of altimetry data: proofs from other measurements

Merging of altimetry data: proofs from other measurements

Image of the month - January 2006

Sea Surface Temperature (left, in tenth of °C) and multi-mission merged absolute dynamic topography maps (right, in cm). The same currents and eddies can be seen on those two sources of data. (Credits MFS/CLS)

The utility of merging together the data from several altimetry satellites can be demonstrated using altimetry data only. Such an interest can also be shown by comparing the altimetry merged datasets with other, independent kinds of data, like sea surface temperature, or in situ measurements.
Data merging from several altimetry satellites allows to observe finer details in ocean features, like eddies, which are of a major importance for many altimetry applications today.

Buoy trajectory (white line, from May 14 to 28, 2003, from A to B), and merged absolute dynamic topography in the Gulf stream on May 21, 2003. Left with "only" two satellites, right with four satellites. The left map fit better the eddy materialized by the buoy path. (Credits CLS)

References:

Pascual, A., M-I Pujol, G. Larnicol, P-Y Le Traon, M-H Rio, 2005: Mesoscale Mapping Capabilities of Multisatellite Altimeter Missions: First Results with Real Data in the Mediterranean Sea. J. Mar. Sys. (in press)
Pascual, A., Y. Faugère, G. Larnicol, P-Y Le Traon, 2006: Improved description of the ocean mesoscale variability by combining four satellite altimeters. Geophys. Res. Lett., 33, L02611, doi:10.1029/2005GL024633