PROS AND CONS OF PHYSICAL/EMPIRICAL SAR ALTIMETRY RETRACKING IN SEASONALLY ICE-COVERED WATERS IN PREPARATION FOR SENTINEL-3

摘要

An investigation is performed into the retrieval of searnsurface heights in the Arctic Ocean to evaluate therndetermination of seasonal sea level in the Arctic Oceanrnfrom satellite altimetry.rnPhysical retrackers assume a uniform probabilityrndensity function for the wave height within the footprintrnwhich is frequently compromised in the Arctic Oceanrndue to the presence of seasonal sea ice and the period ofrninitial freezing of the ocean.rnPreliminary investigations highlight the pros of thernempirical retrackers for seasonal sea ice covered regionsrnas it does not assume anything about physical propertiesrnand the pros of a physical retracker for either permanentrnnear fully ice covered or open ocean.rnComparison with tide gauge data is performed in thisrnstudy to highlight the pros and cons of physical andrnempirical retracking in the Arctic Ocean.