Along-track high resolution sea levels from SARAL/AltiKa satellite altimetry data over the maritime continent

摘要

A new generation of satellite altimetry with a high spatial resolution is a very useful tool for providing information about ocean characteristics including the study of sea levels. This paper is concerned on the comparison of sea levels from the newly launched SARAL/AltiKa satellite altimetry data with the data model from the Coriolis Data Centre. The paper focuses over the regions of the Maritime Continent, which includes the Straits of Malacca, the South China Sea, and the Sulu Sea. The statistical analysis is performed over these three seas because they have different coastal characteristics and ocean variabilities, therefore, the quality of the derived sea levels may be varies. The results show that the sea levels from SARAL/Altika generally well-agree to those of Coriolis Data Centre. However, significant differences are observed at certain regions especially at the Strait of Malacca and Banda Sea. The highest correlation is found over the South China Sea while the lowest value is found over the Sulu Sea. The lowest RMSE is observed at Strait of Malacca while the highest value is over the Sulu Sea.